Disclaimer: I do not own either Inuyasha or Rurouni Kenshin.
Chapter 19.
Hiko looked down at the battlefield. There were plenty of casualties. "We need to find this lord's army and see if we can't find out where the demons are."
"Do you smell anything Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.
"No, too much blood in the air." Inuyasha replied.
Hiko looked around for a moment before looking off into the distance. He could just see the cloud of dust coming over the hill a few miles away. A couple of moments later, the origin of the cloud stopped in front of him out of breath.
"There's an army up ahead." Soujiro said between breaths. "They're held up in a small palisade. There's no sign of the ninjas."
The rest of the men were just coming back from checking the bodies. "They died last night." Saitoh reported. "Apparently these ninjas fight at night. These men weren't camping, they were ready for battle."
Hiko nodded before he looked at the rest of the men. "We're going to go see this lord. If this proves to be a trap to lure us away from the village, I want you all to race back there as quickly as possible. Some of you will be able to reach the village more quickly, but don't wait on anyone. If the rest of us fall behind we'll try to catch up and track you down later if necessary. The village is the top priority."
All the men nodded. This wasn't anything new, but some things were important enough to be reinforced. The small group headed out towards the palisade to find the men waiting.
"Halt, and state your business." The guard said as they approached.
"We are from the village of the demon slayers. We've come at the invitation of your lord." Hiko said simply.
The guards took one look at the armor the men were wearing and let them pass. They found the lord of the territory looking over his maps with his aides.
"I see you did come." The lord said magnanimously. "I had heard that the demon slayers had all been wiped out. I am glad to see my information has proved incorrect."
"The village was nearly wiped out." Hiko said quietly. "A few survived." This was technically true since Sango had survived, and they HAD come from the demon slayer village, just not originally. Hiko hoped history was vague surrounding these events.
The samurai nodded and motioned for Hiko to take a seat. He then looked up and seemed startled to see Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. "What are these demons doing here with you?"
"They have had a spell placed on them by a priestess back in the demon slayer village. She is powerful and subjugated the two of them. They fight on our side now." Hiko said calmly.
Inuyasha started to speak but a quick elbow to the ribs from Miroku silenced him. For once Hiko was glad Sesshomaru was the silent type.
"So where are the demons? Lord…" Hiko asked getting down to business before anyone could start complaining again.
"Tanaka Ichiro. I am the lord of all these lands." Lord Tanaka said proudly. "And to answer your questions, they're gone for now. They only attack at night. My men have been having to sleep during the day, because they have to fight nearly all night."
"So have you a any progress against these demons?" Hiko asked with interest.
"No. My men are being slowly slaughtered. There are hundreds of demons, but there is nothing we can do against them. Our weapons are useless against them, only my blade; a holy sword handed down for generations within my family is able to harm them. I began this campaign outnumbering the demons five to one. Now I only have a quarter of my original troop after only three nights." Lord Tanaka said gravely.
"So they will be back tonight?" Hiko asked plainly.
"Yes. They return every night. It's almost ass if they're looking for something, but as soon as they encounter my men they start attacking. We fall back, counterstrike, and defend ourselves as best we can, but they too strong." Tanaka said desperately.
"Why not leave?" Hiko asked.
"I cannot allow this scourge to run unchecked across my lands. If I leave they will continue to move across the land. As long as my men are here and fight they cannot spread to the surrounding villages and towns." Tanaka said stoically.
Hiko wanted to laugh, but didn't want to anger the lord. His men were being slaughtered and he stood there and took it instead of evacuating villages away from the demons and saving his army. Hiko was reminded of why he didn't work well with military commanders.
"Very well then, Lord Tanaka. We will help. We'll stay here until tonight and we'll see what we can do." Hiko said finally. "However, we must warn you. Our first priority is to our village. If the demons attack there, we will be forced to fall back to defend it."
"Understood. This is the fee I believe you usually charge for your services." Lord Tanaka said as he motioned his hand to the side and one of his men set a large sack on the table that had a pleasant tinkle to it.
Hiko looked at the monk who stepped forward to accept the sack. "You are most kind, Lord Tanaka."
Hiko heard his baka deshi start to speak up. "I don't think we…"
He then heard a resounding slap to the back of his head from Saitoh, Aoshi, or possibly both. Hiko smiled and went back to looking over the map. It was dangerously close to the village. They would have to meet the demons tonight. If they made any more progress towards the village the children would be in danger.
Kenshin walked around the palisade with Sano. It had been quite a while since he'd been in a full-scale battle. He hoped his skills hadn't deteriorated so far that he wouldn't be coming home to Kaoru. Kenshin swore for the third time that day that if he managed to make it out of this one alive he was going to become a recluse and never leave the dojo again.
Sano was sporting his new gauntlets. Miroku had assured him that the sutras he'd made would have sufficed for Sano to hurt demons with, but Sano had liked the gauntlets even more. Kenshin had to admit they did look kinda cool.
The two of them wandered around watching the setting sun. They had gotten some rest earlier and were now waiting for the rest of the men to join them. Not long after the sun went down the battle would start commencing.
Lord Tanaka walked out of his tent in his full samurai armor and nodded to the two of them. He was a decent fellow, who seemed to be interested in protecting his people, so Kenshin had taken a liking to him. The young lord walked over to the two of them.
"I see you are already up. The rest of you will be joining us shortly?" Tanaka asked with aplomb.
"Yeah, Hiko and the rest of the men will be out shortly. He sent Inuyasha and Sesshomaru out to scout around in case there might be more than just demon ninjas out there." Sano said seriously.
"So you've fought these things before?" Tanaka asked.
"Yeah." Sano said simply. "We got our butts kicked though."
Tanaka seemed to be rather alarmed until Kenshin piped in. "We were caught without our weapons that we needed to fight the demons. We were badly outnumbered and were forced to retreat. We've been looking for a rematch ever since."
Tanaka nodded soberly. "I can understand. I don't know what I would do without my family blade. All this fighting disgusts me. I can only hope that the land is one day unified so there is no more need for such as this."
"You don't sound like a man of war." Kenshin said appreciatively.
"I'm not really. Truth be told, I killed my favorite dog when I was a young boy and swore I'd never strike anyone dead ever again. Somehow though these demons haven't presented me with the luxury. I can only take solace in the fact that these demons aren't really human. I guess, I should amend my vow so that I never strike another HUMAN dead ever again." Tanaka said chuckling.
Kenshin had to admit that he didn't like the idea either, but he was hoping he could at least bring himself to strike down these demons. He kept trying to convince himself that he wasn't killing humans.
Finally, the rest of the men and the two demons appeared just as the sun was setting. The seven men and the two demons looked around and started to loosen themselves up for the coming battle. Kenshin looked over at the two demonic brothers and shrugged. The demon ninjas were nothing like Sesshomaru or Inuyasha.
"Just stay out of my way Sesshomaru and we'll get along fine." Inuyasha was saying haughtily.
"I'll go wherever I please and if it means I go through you then so be it." Sesshomaru said icily.
Well OK, maybe not MUCH like Sesshomaru and Inuyasha.
"Why are you even here?" Inuyasha said coldly. I thought Alanor wanted you to go with him.
"I declined."
"Oh. Why?"
"Because I wanted to see your face planted in the ground by that miko some more." Sesshomaru said with what might have been taken for humor in his voice.
"Why you…"
"Save it for the demons, Inuyasha." Miroku said seriously. "They're probably going to be here any minute."
True enough the sun had already set and the night was quickly becoming dark. The men all watched as the guards began lighting torches and bonfires sprang to life to help illuminate the field of battle. There wasn't much to distinguish between friend or foe on the battlefield and Kenshin made certain to check where Saitoh was just in case.
The men all stepped outside the palisade as the gates were closed. Tonight they would be fighting alone. The humans inside the palisade could do little to stop the demon onslaught. The men had decided that since Inuyasha and Sesshomaru stood the best chance against the demon horde, they would be the spearhead of the assault and the other men would gather around to pick off the stragglers that might try to get in close for a shot at the two brothers while they were busy dealing out copious amounts of damage to the enemy.
Kenshin stood beside Tanaka and watched as the mist began to gather around the battlefield. It was surreal to watch the mist defying the fires as it crept past. Kenshin could see the forms within moving and disappearing only to reappear a few seconds later. Kenshin pulled his sword from its sheath and could hear the other men doing the same. They waited as their enemy approached on silent cat's feet.
It came in an instant. One moment the mist seemed to coalesce before them the next the mist broke apart as the horde charged the palisade wall. In an instant Sesshomaru and Inuyasha had both drawn their blades and unleashed the fury of their combined demonic power. So great was the blow that the first few lines of demons disappeared utterly in an instant. Kenshin began to hope that perhaps it had been unnecessary for them to be there when the second wave struck.
Wave after wave began to crash against them as Kenshin noticed small numbers of demons avoiding the blasts by sheer weight of numbers threatening to swamp the two brothers. At Hiko's command the men all raised their weapons.
"Here they COME!" Hiko cried, as the aired seemed to go still for just an instant before demon clashed against demon slayer blade.
Kenshin danced around as quickly as his feet would allow him slashing all around him cleaving apart the dark forms of the ninjas. There was no blood, and no corpses. There was only a dissolving miasma that would slowly fade away as the demons died.
Kenshin found himself about to be crushed by three demons when Sano suddenly appeared slamming one in the side and sending it careening into the other two. There was no time for thanks or even a nod as the next wave struck them. All around, the other men were fighting with everything they had. Hiko had impaled one demon and was already swinging to decapitate another before the first was even dissolved off his blade.
Kenshin turned to see Soujiro chased by four demons only to see him rebound from a leap of the palisade wall and slice through three of them before parrying the forth. Kenshin turned his attention back to his own opponents as two jumped from nowhere to slash at him.
Kenshin felt a bite into his shoulder that told him he had been struck, but it was a glancing blow as he turned and struck. Kenshin began to loose count of how many demons there were.
Kenshin finally looked up to see Tanaka beset by five demons. The young warlord was trying to hold them off, but five of the demons was simply too much. Kenshin sliced one on the back as he entered the fray and managed to fend off two as the young lord regained his footing. Together the two of them fought back to back against the demons.
The demons finally thinned as three more fell to Kenshin's blade. He looked around to see Sesshomaru and Inuyasha still hurling gift-wrapped murder into the teeth of the relentless enemy.
Kenshin did not have time to reach Miroku. He watched the monk fall with a sword in his chest. He did not have time to grieve, but at least took solace in that Aoshi killed the demon responsible a heartbeat later as Miroku held onto the blade denying his enemy a defense with his death.
Kenshin leaped to avoid a sword stroke and brought his blade down onto his next opponent. He could not see very much else as the battle raged around them.
After what seemed like an eternity. The enemy finally started to thin. Kenshin looked around to see who was still alive. Aoshi was helping Saitoh up, who was still alive but only barely. Hiko was on one knee breathing deeply, and Tanaka was looking around just as Kenshin was.
"That'll teach them to try to trip me." Soujiro said proudly holing up a broken chain and wrapping it around his shoulder as a trophy.
Kenshin smiled as he looked around to find Sano. He found him lying near Miroku.
Kenshin began to cry as he staggered over to Sanosuke as he lay there trying to breath.
Kenshin looked down into the face of his friend and was watching his last moments. It was the Bakumatsu all over again as Kenshin held him up and wept bitterly.
Sano finally stopped moving as Kenshin held him there and then he laid him down and covered his eyes. Kenshin bowed his head for a moment as remembered his friend and then he looked up to see Inuyasha standing over Miroku.
"I guess I'll have to take him back to Sango." Inuyasha said solemnly.
Sesshomaru walked across the battlefield as if looking for something. He finally stopped and turned toward Inuyasha. "We need to get back to the village immediately."
"Sesshomaru, we've got dead and injured here." Inuyasha said irritably.
"Well that's no excuse." Sesshomaru said pulling out the smaller of his two swords. He slashed the air near Miroku and Sanosuke before walking away. "We need to get back to the village immediately. I don't think this was all of them."
This managed to get all the men's attention. "What do you mean?" Hiko said worriedly.
"These demons aren't the smartest type in the world. They have to be focused by a greater demon to be effective. I don't see that demons body anywhere near here. The demon must have escaped, and if he saw us fighting he might have realized where the women are along with the jewel." Sesshomaru said finally.
"We'll catch up as quickly as we can." Hiko said nodding.
Soujiro had already taken off like a rocket followed by Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. With luck they could catch up to the demons before they reached the village. Kenshin hoped beyond hope. He also hoped that the three of them had managed to kill enough of them so that the three of them could finish the rest.
"Is there anything that I can do to help?" Lord Tanaka asked.
"No." Hiko said finally. "We'll gather our dead and return to the village."
"Don't go burying me yet." Sano said as he groaned and stretched trying to get up.
"Sano? You're alive!" Kenshin said overjoyed to see his friend moving. "But, how?"
"Sesshomaru must have used his Tensaiga." Miroku said as he sat up wearily. "It has the power to raise people from the dead, or so I hear."
"It would have been nice to know this BEFORE the battle." Hiko said angrily.
"Well, in all honesty, I'm surprised he used it. Sesshomaru isn't exactly the most magnanimous of people you know." Miroku said sheepishly.
"Probably figured that if he didn't Kagome would've face planted him just like Inuyasha." Hiko said thinking for a moment. Finally he turned back to Tanaka. "Lord Tanaka. Do you have horses?"
The moon was full as Sango looked down at the valley that stretched out in front of her village. She was keeping a lookout, theoretically. In reality she was watching for any sign of the men's return. She watched hoping to see Miroku come walking back to tell her that everything was going to be all right, and that the threat was passed.
Sango watched the valley for a little while longer not really seeing anything, as her mind wandered back to the monk. He was a fighter, but hadn't really been the same since he'd lost the wind tunnel. Sango hoped he was OK, since she'd never seen him think it necessary to wear armor.
Sango sighed looking around when she suddenly sensed the demonic aura. She lifted herself a little looking out into the valley floor. When she realized that the fog was moving against the wind. Sango's eyes suddenly went wide with recognition and she ran for the warning bell.
The first peals of the bell rang out over the village as the barrage of flaming arrows came over the wall. Fortunately everyone was inside, but the arrows had been meant for destruction to the buildings more than against people inside the wall.
Sango watched helplessly as a few of the buildings of her home caught fire. Most of them were empty, but by chance the main hut housing the children had also caught ablaze. Sango looked over the wall to see the first wave of demon ninjas coursing for the wall as she leapt down to the ground to run for the main hut screaming the alarm as she went.
The village came alive immediately. The ladies had retreated into the main hut with the children while the men were away and now they came running out carrying the children. Yahiko was leading Tsubame out of the hut as Kaoru, Misao, and Kamatari came running out to join Sango.
Sango didn't waste any time. "Yahiko! Get everyone to the back of the village. There's a cave there, where you should be safe. Barricade the entrance if you have to!"
Sango noticed Sesshomaru's imp running alongside the girl Rin. "Jaken! We need you!"
Jaken came to join Sango and the other ladies just as the ninjas topped the wall. Sango and the others got between the ninjas and the retreating children, just as Kagome came out of the main hut carrying her bow and arrows. Kirara also bounded out to Sango's side transforming, ready to defend her mistress.
Jaken let loose a torrent of flame into the approaching ninjas as Kagome began to rain arrows into their midst. This didn't deter the ninjas however as they swarmed over the wall like insects invading a nest.
Sango threw her boomerang and the other fighters were letting loose with their own ranged attacks as the ninjas closed in. Sango looked up for just a moment to notice that some of the ninjas had stopped atop the wall. They had bows with them and Sango could do nothing without her boomerang. "Kagome! Kirara! Archers!"
Sango watched as anyone able to reach the archers let loose a barrage to knock them from the walls. Sango looked on in desperation as she watched one of the archers targeting the retreating children. Before she could scream the arrow had been loosed.
All the world seemed to slow down as Sango's vision followed the arrows trail straight toward Tsubame. Tsubame froze in place in terror as the arrow sailed towards its mark. Sango blinked. In that one instant, when the balance of the world stood on the edge of a knife, the world was saved not by their group's greatest warrior, but their least.
Yahiko moved into the arrows path and with grace she didn't realize the boy possessed snatched the arrow from the air, and the future from the jaws of destruction. A moment later Kirara's bite silenced the last of the archers.
The world seemed to shudder as if some sort of decision had been reached and the battle once again began to rage around Sango in fiery intensity. Sango watched the retreating young lovers as she caught her boomerang. Moving it to her back to use as a shield she pulled her sword and turned to face the charge of the ninjas.
In retrospect there weren't all that many of them, but there also weren't very many of their number to defend against them either. Sango ducked and dodged skewered and slicing any of the demons that came into reach. She looked around to see the rest of her number busy as well. Jaken was managing to keep the brunt of the attack off of them as the women went to work systematically destroying any ninjas that managed to dodge the fiery embrace of the staff of two heads.
Sango had almost started to relax when she felt the ground shudder. She looked up briefly to see the largest demon she'd ever faced towering over the walls. It was hideous and looked like a samurai with one of the demonic looking face guards, but Sango was certain that it wasn't a face guard she was looking up into.
The other women had never faced anything like this beast and even Jaken began to back away as she watched the thing bat Kirara aside and raise a giant sword above its head to destroy them all.
It was in that moment she heard the howl. The demon paused with the sword raised above its head and looked aside just as a huge flash of white collided with the demon from the side.
"LORD SESSHOMARU!" Jaken cried in adoration.
The demon dog bit into the giant samurai as the two fought back and forth on the other side of the walls. Meanwhile even more of the demons poured over into the village trying to reach the jewel and the children inside.
"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!" Inuyasha cried as he leapt over the wall in a single bound and came down into the heart of the demons.
With Inuyasha there, the battle was once again joined in earnest as the women fought to hold back the tide of demons and Inuyasha danced through their number doing what he did best, wreaking general havoc and carving a path of destruction everywhere he went.
Misao had her own problems. She had thrown nearly all of her kunai, in the beginning of the battle and was slowly being driven back from the press of the demons. She was down to her last two kunai, which she held out with one in each hand slashing and kicking to keep the ninjas at bay. There was little else she could do as the pressed against her with weapons more designed for battle and with superior numbers.
Misao slipped and in that last moment saw her doom as a ninja raised its sword to end her short sweet life. Misao waited for her fate to be dealt to her, but the blow never landed.
Misao looked over her to realize that Soujiro was standing over her, his blade extended from the follow through of his stroke as the demon slid in half before disintegrating. Misao looked up to see the stars fall into her eyes as she looked on her champion.
Misao didn't waste any more time as she jumped up from the ground and joined Soujiro in the fight. There seemed to be a oneness between the two as they fought. Soujiro's blade never came near Misao as she seemed to move with him through the fight almost becoming one with his body as she would spin over his back and around him, using him as leverage to lash out with a flurry of kicks and stabs.
Misao wrapped around Soujiro as he fought becoming one with him as she moved so that to their opponents, it was like fighting one foe that had managed to sprout an extra set of arms and two extra legs that never needed to touch the ground.
The two young lovers spun together dodged together and moved together as if dancing among their enemies, laying low any who would threaten to harm their other half.
Misao stabbed and gouged at any who came near Soujiro's flank or back, while his blade carved wide arcs to protect her from any enemy that might come near. The two finally found themselves in an empty yard, looking around them as the last of the reinforcements arrived.
Hiko and the other swordsmen thundered into the village on their horses, slashing about them to clear a path. The horses reared and the men leapt off to the defense of those they loved. Misao could see Sango and Miroku fighting back to back, while Kenshin stood over a wounded Kaoru. Aoshi had even managed to reach Kamatari, who was the hardest pressed of them at the moment. Hiko and the rest of the men set off for the cave to make certain the others were safe as the remaining fighters began to clear the last of the demons from the field of battle.
"We'll take the horses back in the morning." Hiko was saying as everyone gathered in the village center. The main hut had been destroyed, and apparently so had any animosity between the women and the men. Concern over the welfare of the one's they loved had made the men soften, and the women who were thankful for the protection. Kenshin realized looking back on the days that they had spent in the past that it was most likely that two wars had ended this night.
Kenshin watched as Kagome and Megumi tended to the injuries of anyone that required tending. Sanosuke hugged his adopted girls close while he watched Megumi work and the girls for their part were screaming 'Daddy's home'.
Inuyasha was watching Kagome heal Kaoru, when he turned to his brother. "So don't tell me you're going soft Sesshomaru."
"Watch you tongue half-demon, lest I cut it out. What do you mean?" Sesshomaru said testily as Rin crawled up into his lap to sleep. For once, Jaken wasn't saying a word about it either.
"First, you healed Miroku and Sano, and then you came charging back here as fast as you could to save the village, and then you jump that demon like you're in some sort of bloodlust. I thought you hate humans." Inuyasha said seriously. It almost sounded like he was trying to not be rude with the question. He failed, but still it was the thought that counted.
"I do not hate humans any more than anything else." Sesshomaru said as he reached down and almost tenderly tucked a lock of hair behind the ear of his small ward. She shivered and reached up to pull what at first looked like a fur stole over her shoulders, but what Kenshin now realized was actually Sesshomaru's tail. "However I do disapprove of tainting demon blood with a human's. And unlike you little brother, I take my responsibilities seriously."
Sesshomaru went back to cradling the small girl, but Kenshin noticed that he had been looking at Kagome when he said it. Inuyasha, of course, responded in his customary manner. Namely, violence.
"Why you…" Inuyasha said pulling his sword.
"Inuyasha. Sit!" Kagome commanded as she finished Kaoru's wound and got up carrying a bowl of water and a towel with her as she approached Sesshomaru.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha whined from the ground.
"Sesshomaru, I would like to thank you for saving us and especially for saving Miroku and Sano." Kagome said politely as she knelt next to Sesshomaru.
"I did not wish to join Inuyasha in the dirt." Sesshomaru said with a smirk.
"Still…" Kagome said as she gingerly reached out and started to move Sesshomaru's sleeve. "I want to thank you properly."
Sesshomaru did not resist as Kagome moved his sleeve to reveal the stump of his arm. Kenshin hadn't really been around Sesshomaru enough to realize that he had such a wound. It definitely didn't slow him down in combat.
Kagome looked at the wound and looked at his other arm. "I've never tried this before. I've been studying the healing arts and I would like to try to heal this if you would let me."
Sesshomaru's face betrayed nothing as he looked down at the girl. He didn't say anything for quite a while and Kenshin was almost certain that he was going to refuse when he finally nodded. "If you wish to try."
Kenshin watched as Kagome's hands began to glow. No matter how many times he watched her work magic he never quite got comfortable with it. Sesshomaru didn't move, but finally the arm began to grow from his stump. For long moments it continued to extend as Sesshomaru's face hid the agony he must be feeling. Inuyasha's hand crept to his sword just in case as he watched Sesshomaru's eyes turn red, but the demon never moved or gave any other indication of pain.
When Kagome finished, Sesshomaru looked at his restored arm and flexed it experimentally. "This will do." He said simply.
Sesshomaru gently lifted the girl Rin from his lap and handed her to Kagome. "Your healing of the wound has sapped my energy. I must go feed. I will be gone for a couple of days."
Nobody said a word as Sesshomaru got up and left. Jaken toddled off behind him and Rin dosed easily in Kagome's arms. Everyone looked on Kagome with a new sense of respect as she once again showed how far she'd come in her power and abilities.
There was a clapping heard from the darkness, and everyone turned as Alanor stepped into the firelight followed by Anji and Cho. "I see your powers in healing have been progressing nicely. Well done. I'm not certain I could have performed such a powerful feat." The three came and had a seat just as Tae brought out the evening meal.
"Your timing is exceptional." Hiko said dryly.
"My apologies. It looks like you little army did quite well on its own." Alanor said appreciatively. "You really are the best of the best in your craft."
Most of the younger men were beaming, but the older men just nodded and reached for the sake. Not necessarily to drink, but to rub on the sore spots. Tae served Hiko his meal while the other ladies attended to their men. Kamatari took care of her newly arrived and unattached comrades after seeing to Aoshi.
"So how have things gone?" Alanor said after they'd eaten.
Hiko then proceeded to tell the wizard of all that they'd faced and how they had come to the rescue of a young lord that had been beset by the same demons that had attacked them in the future.
Alanor took all of this in and then pulled out his books. He flipped through looking for the proper references, and finally closed the book. "It's a good thing that you saved that lord. If you had not, then it would have been a severe temporal distortion. One which I'm not certain all of you would have survived." Alanor said seriously.
"Oh, what impact does that lord have on history?" Kenshin asked innocently.
"He is one of the ancestors of the Shogun, Tokugawa. If he had died, it would have changed a great deal of Japan's history." Alanor said with relief.
Kenshin immediately felt his heart sink as Saitoh lost all control of himself and began rolling on the ground pounding his fist into it with laughter. Tears rolled down his face as he looked to the heavens and laughed. "The irony is too sharp!" Saitoh guffawed.
"It's not funny, Saitoh!" Kenshin grated between his teeth.
"What is it?" Kagome asked.
Between fits of laughter, Saitoh managed to sit up and wrap an arm around Kenshin.
"The Battousi here saved that young Lord Tanaka's life today. He was a hero, and Lord Tanaka held him in such high respect he lent us the horses to come thundering back here to the rescue. I just find it amazing that the Battousi here saved the life of the man who will one day have ancestors responsible for the very shogunate that he later has to help destroy during the Bakumatsu!" Saitoh managed to finish before going off into another fit of laughter, and leaning against Kenshin to keep from falling over.
Kenshin thought about it and died a little inside. He then looked at Saitoh and did what any rational, penitent, assassin-turned-protector would do. He decked him.