Disclaimer: I wish I could, (sobs slightly) I really do, (tears starts to fall already) but, but, (kaoru : just say it) I don't own RK (burst into tears and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and… you get the picture)

This is sort of important

This happens after Saitou just appeared. He went to injure Sanosuke, and then threaten and I don't remember and then he went to fight with Kenshin. That is basically it. Before Kyoto Arc where Saitou is suppose to say Kenshin can be the person to defeat Shishio or not.

I hope I am clear because I read what I wrote I don't know what the half of it I say buy I could not think of a better way to say it… except maybe go read the manga translation, it is around chapter 34 I think…

Now on with the story ……

Two Ex-Hitokiris in the house

Chap 1 – I will not let you die!

Bang!

Kenshin's back pummeled against the wall. Everyone else in the dojo winced noticeably, especially Kaoru.

"You struggle in vain!" Saitou stood there smugly, gripping on his sword. Looking lovingly at his sword, he continued "It is nameless, but my beloved blade and these techniques have served me well in countless dangers from the time of the Bakumatsu until now." He smirked gleefully, "You won't break them now."

"Kenshin!" Kaoru rushed over to him "Ken …" she froze momentarily.

Kenshin's eyes, they were distant, cold, calculating. They sent shivers down Kaoru's spine. His eyes above all, had flecks of amber.

"Stand aside, little girl. You're in the way." Saito said menacingly.

Kaoru just stood there, staring into Kenshin's eyes. She refused to move, she refused to let them continue this meaningless fight, she refused to let Kenshin be once again Battousai, something which he has been fighting against for ten years, someone he was very close to being into.

Kaoru jumped. Kenshin had gently put his hand on her shoulder, and gave a reassuring smile, though it was a cold one. Kaoru only shook her head, tears was welling in her eyes, though she tried not to let it drop. He gave a gentle push and Kaoru was out of the way, behind him.

"Let's go."

Kenshin was an absolute blur as he started off. The previous response to the second attack, trying to break the sword, had been faster than to the first one. He's taken a deep wound to the chest and yet he was still going strong. He's learned to accept victory by awakening the strength of the Hitokiri that sleeps inside him.　When he picks up the sword, although he doesn't know it --little by little he's reverting to Hitokiri Battousai.

Saitou kicked out suddenly and Kenshin was knocked back to a standstill. He used his sword as a stand to lean, breathing deeply.

'He's breathing too hard.' Kaoru thought worriedly. Kenshin had taken a stab in the chest but was still continuing to fight.

"Now that, has exceeded my expectations." Saitou whispered, barely loud enough for any one to hear it.

But, Kenshin heard it. Slowly Kenshin brought his breathing under control, and gazed fiercely at Saitou.

"No" a gasp from Kaoru. She had heard it too, but the more terrifying thing was about Kenshin's eyes. 'no, it can't be'

Saitou sized up his opponent, as if calculating the next move, "Only this will tell. The true from of the Gatotsu. No holding back now."

"He's . . . he's been holding back up till now!" Yahiko exclaimed.

Ignoring that 'burst of excitement', Saitou stabs forward, with an incredible amount of speed. Kenshin however was no slower, and perhaps faster. He missed the sword and sidestepped. He dodged the attack gracefully…… and attacked ruthlessly. He whipped his sword around in a backhanded blow to the base of Saitou's skull. Saitou was driven through the dojo wall, with debris all behind him.

"Amazing! Avoiding the blow and turning at the same time. A blow to the back full of centrifugal force!" Yahiko was 'whao'ed by the exchange of blows.

"After being shown the Gatotsu four times in succession, even a fool would think of one or two counterattacks. Get up, Saitou. It would be disappointing to end our battle like this after ten years." Kenshin growled.

'oh no, no no…' Kaoru shook her head in denial.

Saitou climbed up to his feet, using his sword as a lever "I had assumed that you were merely sharp, I was only trying to test your strength. But my plans have changed. I'll kill you now."

'Kenshin? No…'

"You must be dreaming. I should be the one to say that."

"Battousai" Kaoru fell to her knees. 'It's the same … it's exactly the same as with Jin'eh …' "Stop them … somebody stop them …" 'Kenshin… Kenshin is not here anymore.' "Somebody stop them!"

Blurs running here and there, the only way to keep check of their placing was to look at the floor. Friction has lift some of wood up, and blood trailed down on the floor, following the path way of both Kenshin and Saitou. Then the tip of Saitou's sword was shorn off. And graze past his own head, hitting the wall behind him.

"Next time it will be your head that flies."

"Wow . . . Kenshin's much sharper today." Yahiko commented.

Kaoru shook her head, "No… that's not Kenshin! Open your eyes. That's Hitokiri Battousai! It's Battousai! Stop them! Somebody stop them…please…"

Leaning on a stick as a walking cane, Sanosuke limped in, "It's no good, Kaoru. They're not in Meiji Tokyo any more. They're fighting in Kyoto of the Bakumatsu. No matter how much you call, your voice can't reach them. Only someone who survived the violence of the Bakumatsu and tasted the shaking of Kyoto could stop this fight…"

"Someone who survived the Bakumatsu" Kaoru whispered. Determination clouded her vision as her eyes lost a tinge of her old shimmering blue.

Saitou went back to his stance. "You bastard, I'll use the Gatotsu even with a broken sword!"

"I see the Shinsengumi still don't know how to retreat." The Battousai also went into his stance of Battojutsu.

Saitou continued his 'Shinsengumi-is-very-great-therefore-I'm-great-and-you-cannot-beat-me' speech "The first principle of the Shinsengumi is that it is unworthy to deviate from the warrior's path. A warrior does not know how to flee before the enemy! You can never beat me!"

They started charging towards each other again, both were a blur. Then, Battousai knocked Saitou's sword out of his hand with his left fist.

"With his bare hands!" Yahiko was stunned. He had never seen a battle like this before.

"To make an opening for the sword." Sanosuke added and noticed that Kaoru was very silent and she was engrossed in the battle itself.

Her eyes darkened even more than before as it turns dark blue, Sano's words ran through her mind over and over again, '…not in Meiji Tokyo any more… fighting in Kyoto of the Bakumatsu… No matter how much you call … voice can't reach them … Only someone who survived the violence of the Bakumatsu and tasted the shaking of Kyoto could stop this fight…'

"Kaoru, you al…" but he was distracted by the battle between ex-hitokiris, or maybe more accurately, present hitokiris.

"So the Shinsengumi choose honor over life . . . That's all right with me." Battousai smirked.

"That's the match. He can't keep off Kenshin's sword bare-handed…" analyzed Sano, and then stopped wide-eyed. "The belt from his uniform!"

"When did he … …" Yahiko trailed off.

"I have you!" Saitou cried in triumph. He hit Battousai's hand with his belt and his reverse blade sword goes flying off and hit the floor.

"He's in trouble now! Without his sword Kenshin doesn't have a chance…" Sano realized.

"With this," he whipped off his jacket and pulls it taut around Battousai's throat, lifting him off the ground "it's over!"

Battousai strangled to breathe, though Saitou's gripped refused to waver.

"He's trying to strangle him!"

"Nothing so simple, Yahiko. He wants to break his neck …"

"Give up! You can't fight me anymore!"

Meanwhile, Kaoru's only thoughts are 'only, someone who survived the violence of Bakumatsu… can stop this… …'

Kaoru's eyes had turned completely black.

Battousai pushed down on the iron sheath at his belt, which catches Saitou under the chin. Saitou cried out loud in sudden pain and let go of his grip, a mistake, a careless one indeed. They separate and rolled off to grab their swords. They got up exactly at the same time and square off once again, both bloody and breathing hard.

"Neither of them have any strength to spare. This next attack will be the last. It'll be life or death, or else they'll both kill each other."

Kaoru said out loud, in a voice very unlike her own, cold , merciless, "if no one would stop them, I would"

"Kaoru!" Sano and Yahiko both heard her tone and what she said. But as they turned their head towards her, she disappeared.

"Where did she go?" Sano looked around frantically.

"How can she disappear so quickly?" Yahiko asked, and then felt the intensity of the current battle going on. Sano too, quickly revert his attention to the intense match.

"It's time we finished this." Saitou declared quietly

"Yes." Battousai agreed.

Another pregnant pause filled the dojo, as they froze from their stance.

Then, they both whispered in unison, "Let's go."

And they cried out a battle cry while charging to each other with speed only god can possess. When they reach each other, both cried out each of their own attacks, "Taikuu Gatotsu" "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu sou ryu sen kaminori"

"This is it, either Saito or Kenshin would win" Sano could not believe that there would be a possibility where Kenshin would be defeated.

"Either of them would die, or maybe both would." Yahiko loss all hope.

"Not if I can help it."

Another blur came in between the two attacking man. Using … kitchen knifes? Someone defended and stopped the attack from going past herself. She crossed her hands, with speed matched by perhaps the two attackers themselves, the two swords landed on the knifes and then she turned around twisting her hands in a way that she was now stuck in between swords and knifes but all narrowing missing her kimono.

"Kaoru!" Both Sano and Yahiko cried out.

Then the whole dojo went to a stand still.

Kaoru broke it.

"I refuse to let anyone die in MY dojo because of a stupid meaningless fight!"

Kaoru turned and glared into Battousai's amber eyes with her black shadowy ones.

"And, I will not let my shishou die this stupidly!"

AN: I hope that this is good coz I really like my idea… but my writing skills… sigh, well I laugh out loud at my own grammatical mistakes. So hope you'd all review…