Chapter 3

It was fast approaching midnight as Kenshin cautiously made his way through the dense forests and thick undergrowth towards the appointed destination, his senses alert for any signs of ambush. All was silent save for the howl of the wind and the occasional rustling of leaves. The familiar sound of frogs' croaking and crickets' chirping were not heard for once. It was as if the forest's occupants sensed the impending danger and had scuttled off in search of safety.

Kenshin reached out a hand to shove an overhanging branch that stood in his way and was surprised to note that he could barely distinguished his hand from the almost pitch darkness. The moon, half-hidden behind gray clouds, produced only slight illumination. Even the usually twinkling stars had disappeared.

A twig snapped suddenly behind Kenshin, shattering the still and tense atmosphere. Kenshin swirled around immediately, his reverse-edged blade already half-drawn in a single, smooth movement, ready to fight off a frontal attack. But all he faced was an innocent-looking hare, which nibbled away at a seedling. It suddenly detected Kenshin's presence and scampered away in a hurry. Kenshin turned back, his expression remaining impassive but he was aware that his pulse had quickened.

Midnight. Kenshin stood in front of the dark and forbidding looking shrine which had been isolated for as long as he could remember. Years of exposure towards the merciless weather had taken its toll on the once sturdy building and now it was on the verge of collapse. The door creaked alarmingly as it swung open and Kenshin soon found himself in the main prayer room, with three doors leading out of it.

"I'm here. Now show yourself and make your intentions clear," Kenshin paused and waited for an answering reply.

"Battousai……………," The beckoning whisper seemed to come from no particular direction. Following his instincts, Kenshin tried the door to his left which revealed a dusty corridor lined with skulls and human bones, leading to yet another doorway. The faint light peeping from the crack beneath this second door told Kenshin that his kidnapped friends and the identity of their mysterious assailant lay beyond it.

Bursting through the doors in a show of vigor, Kenshin stopped short at the first sight which greeted him. All 5 of his friends were clapped in iron chains against the stone wall and gagged tightly. The despair in their eyes gave way to a flicker of recognition as well as a gleam of hope. Kaoru, Misao and Yahiko's eyes practically lit up with joy the moment their gaze fell upon Kenshin, but Sanosuke could not hide the anxiety and apprehension over the danger he knew was inevitable. Aoshi, as usual, remained stony-faced, his cold eyes as flat and expressionless as ever.

Kenshin's first impulse was to release them, but it suddenly dawned upon him that a negative aura was present. A little way off stood the man responsible, with a mocking sneer plastered across his face, who Kenshin recognized without the slightest lingering trace of doubt.

"Udou Jin-eh!" Kenshin was shocked and clearly showed it. Jin-eh had been a hitokiri from the past, a cruel and ruthless man. Challenging Kenshin to a duel, he had even gone to the extent of kidnapping Kaoru just to provoke Kenshin into returning to his former Battousai the Manslayer self. Kenshin finally put a stop to all Jin-eh's merciless slayings by severing his elbow's tendons so that he will never be able to handle a sword again. And Jin-eh had taken his own life in distress.

"It appears that you never did kill yourself, Jin-eh," remarked Kenshin coldly. Jin-eh threw back his head and howled with laughter.

"Kill myself? It was merely a ploy, Battousai, to recuperate and to plan your death," His eyes glittered with rage. "I seek vengeance! You destroyed my life the very moment you disabled my arm, Battousai! The pain, the agony, the misery of not being able to hold a sword again….and it's all because of YOU! YOU!" Jin-eh snarled, his face twisted into a ferocious mask of uncontrolled anger.

"Is this what you so desired, Jin-eh? My death?" Kenshin spoke quietly, unaffected by Jin-eh's outburst. "Then why did you get my friends involved as well?"

"You don't seem to realize, Battousai, that a man with severed tendons can be safely said to have absolutely no hope against you. Hence, your friends," Jin-eh produced a dagger which he pressed none too gently against Kaoru's bare neck. Kaoru's eyes widened with fear as she felt the cold steel biting into her flesh. She observed Kenshin's hand moving for his blade but as Jin-eh grunted warningly and increased the pressure on her neck, drawing blood, he stopped short.

"Miss Kaoru!" Her heart ached at the agony evident in his tone. "Let her go, Jin-eh, let them all go. What is it that you want from me?"

"I want you dead, Battousai! Draw your sword and take your own life! It's your choice….your friends dead or you dead…"

A muffled gasp of horror escaped Kaoru's lips and judging by the others' expression, there was no doubt that they experienced feelings of the same kind. Even Aoshi's impassive expression betrayed a grim look. Kenshin received the news calmly, without even going as far as to raise an eyebrow. "I see…..but how do I know that you'll release them unharmed after I do as you say?"

"You don't, Battousai," Jin-eh's evil and insanely cackle gave Kaoru goosebumps. "But it appears you don't have a choice do you?" He pushed the blade further home with Kaoru stifling a cry of pain. Staring fixedly at the ground, Kenshin drew his reverse-edged blade in slow and smooth movements. After a moment's hesitation, he looked up and the resigned smile and look in his eyes told them everything.

NO, KENSHIN! NOOOO! NOOO……With tears streaming down her cheeks in rivulets, Kaoru shook her head furiously, DON'T DO IT! Sano, Yahiko and Misao clearly shared Kaoru's thoughts by throwing discouraging looks at Kenshin and struggling hard with the faint hope of breaking through the chains. Aoshi remained silent, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Kenshin surveyed his friends one at a time, staring at them intently as if for the last time. His gaze finally fell upon Kaoru and it rested there for a long while. And then in a swift, sharp motion, he raised his sword and plunged it deep into his heart.