This story has been beta by Steven Bodner and TheReader2011. Enjoy!

"Chesto!" roared Sakaki as he threw a punch at Kenichi, who managed to parry it.

Kenichi retaliated with a high kick, which was blocked before Sakaki threw a counter thrust. Kenichi quickly managed to block it before quickly spinning around, shooting his meteor hammer at Sakaki.

"You're getting pretty handy with that weapon of yours," complimented Sakaki as he dodged it.

Kenichi could only smile as he jerked the rope back while dashing forward with a kick.

Meanwhile, Miu was actually sparring with Akisame, testing out her Kushinada Jiujitsu on him.

"Curious," commented Akisame as he broke out of Miu's hold and counter threw her, "This style utilizes the Ki throw in a unique way. I am able to use such moves only because I use Ki feints that manipulate my opponents, but it only works if the opponent is a highly skilled master. Yours is able to work on any opponents. Perhaps an advanced application of Ki manipulation and understanding of the human body?"

Before the spars could get any further, Inspector Honmaki came rushing in after Kensei let him in.

"Sakaki! Things have started to get out of hand!" shouted Honmaki as he breathed heavily, wiping off his sweat, "It's about Yami! The leader of the Unarmed Division as well as the One Shadow Nine Fist, One Shadow, is going to appear in public! Not to mention all current members will be attending with him!"

"Where will they be gathering?" asked Akisame, though all of Ryozanpaku already knew the answer thanks to the time travelers. Still, they needed to act surprised, even if they did feel bad about deceiving one of their closest allies.

"It's not clear, but it's at a government facility," breathed out Honmaki, "What's worse, the police have been given direct orders to protect the One Shadow Nine Fist! It's outrageous! They were clearly our enemy, but now we have to protect them! To be honest, I'm risking my position by telling you this."

Akisame and the others theorized that some of the higher-level officials were slowly being replaced by those who worked for Yami. A prime example was congress member Ishida, who had been 'fighting' against Yami only for it to be revealed that he actually worked for them.

"If only there was some way to get you in," sighed Honmaki, "No doubt Yami will order us to fight Ryozanpaku despite the fact you have saved us before."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," said Akisame, glancing over to Kenichi and Miu. The two nodded back, knowing Niijima already had something planned.

"In that case, the only thing we can do now is…" stated Akisame with a serious tone, his eyes glowing with Ki, "to eat dinner. One cannot fight on an empty stomach."

Honmaki couldn't quite understand why they were so calm, but in the end, accepted the fact they must have something on hand to help them.

Day of meeting

"Doesn't this make you nervous?" whispered the co-helicopter pilot, glancing back at just whom they were carrying.

"Eyes back up front," warned the head pilot, "A single glance can take years off your life."

"Alright, alright," whispered the co-pilot, "I prefer if that little joke of yours wasn't so real. Just seeing the rumored One Shadow Nine Fist… Their presence makes me feel like my existence is completely irrelevant."

"So they're here," murmured Honmaki, "Will Ryozanpaku come? I hope they know what they're doing."

Honmaki glanced over at his commanding officer, a rather arrogant captain who believed that guns could defeat any martial artist.

"Hahaha, it looks like the famed Ryozanpaku is too scared to come out!" taunted the captain, "A good thing, otherwise they would've been traitors!"

While the captain was busy feeding his own ego, his own men did not have the same feeling. They all knew Ryozanpaku, some of them having been saved by said dojo. They were aware that the order to arrest Ryozanpaku had originated from Yami, but had to obey it since it was from their supervisors. All they could hope was that they weren't forced to carry out the orders.

Senzui, still in his Saiga disguise, looked around in curiosity as the helicopter landed, allowing them to walk out. He was sure that Ryozanpaku would've arrived before they landed to confront them. They had purposely allowed Honmaki to warn Ryozanpaku about their arrival, planning to use their appearance as bait to draw their attention.

Instead, all he saw when he arrived at the rooftop was an empty lot.

"Welcome! The Prime Minister is waiting for you," greeted congress member Ishida. He had managed to retain his positions despite the setback thanks to some powerful lobbying from both him and his allies, though he did lose some power due to it. Though with what was going to happen, it soon wouldn't matter.

"Are there any signs of Ryozanpaku?" asked Senzui.

"None so far," replied Ishida, "Perhaps they finally realized the futileness of their efforts, especially since their precious grandmaster, the 'Invincible' Superman, Furinji Hayato, is stuck fighting with Oganosuke Yogi-sama. It won't be long before he brings Furinji down to his knees and takes his head on a pike."

"Do not underestimate him," warned Senzui, his eyes narrowing at Ishida, "There is a good reason why he is known for that title. Though he may return victorious, it will be far too late for Furinji to do anything."

"My apologies. Please, this way," said Ishida, guiding them into the building.

On their way, none of them saw any signs of Ryozanpaku.

"Something is off," muttered Hongo as he adjusted his sunglasses, "Sakaki would've already barged in to stop us."

"I know Apachai doesn't know the meaning of patience nor holding back, so the fact he's not bursting in here means he's either somehow miraculously learned it, or he really isn't here," nodded Agaard in agreement.

The others remained silent as they walked to the meeting room door.

"If anything, then we can proceed as planned," said Senzui.

"The prime minister might just capitulate to you all if you just show your strength," joked Ishida. Well, slightly joking, and more of hoping it would happen.

The doors were opened, allowing Senzui and the others to step in, only to suddenly pause when they saw just who was in the room.

Certainly, the Japanese Prime Minister was sitting there, as to be expected, since they were meeting with him. Two nondescript bodyguards wearing black suits were also within expectations.

What they didn't expect was to see Akisame, Kensei, Taiki, Danki, a man wearing a bear cloak, and clearly an American military man based on his uniform and an American flag tattoo on his shoulder, wearing aviators.

The man wearing the bear cloak was actually Tsuji's master, who had been forced down the mountain after Tsuji went looking for him once more, with Niijima and Taiki tagging along. After a day of "Niijima Brainwashing" along with some vital information about the upcoming Eternal Setting Sun, the man finally agreed to descend down from the mountains, pushing off his hermit lifestyle for now. It also helped with Taiki there to convince the man, from one hermit to another. Though he refused to give up his name, he was promptly nicknamed Bearman. The last addition was a contact from Jennifer Grey, who sent a major from the US Air Force when she heard that Yami was revealing themselves to the world. The aura that he was giving off showed he was a master, if not a grandmaster just like the others.

"What!? How did you get in! Did the police let you in? Intruders, get them out!" shouted Ishida, mostly in embarrassment that people clearly allied with Ryozanpaku had gotten in.

"Now, now, we were invited in," smiled Akisame, "You can ask the Prime Minister himself."

"Indeed," confirmed the prime minister, "Ryozanpaku is a name that is famous even among politicians such as I. When this meeting was created, I invited them to sit with us, for my own safety, of course. The One Shadow Nine Fist is a name known in the darkness, so my advisers insisted that I bring some of Ryozanpaku members in. The major here was sent here by our US allies under the advice of FBI specialist Jennifer Grey. He, in turn, invited some men for his own protection. This is major Gailu of the US Air Force, who happened to be recently stationed at the US base here."

While Ishida was trying to figure out how he had been blindsided, the reality of the matter was simple. The real Saiga still had connections to the Japanese government, so he 'advised' them to bring in Ryozanpaku hidden. A simple food transport containing them all slipped into the building, where only the ones the Prime Minister trusted were there to receive. As for the major, that had been a play from Niijima, who had sent a message to Spartacus, who relayed it to Jennifer, his current guardian. From there, it was a matter of time before the Americans sent someone in, especially in regard to national security.

'Nonetheless, the fact they are here means they took the bait,' thought Saiga, 'Though the other members of Ryozanpaku are missing. Perhaps they stationed them back at Ryozanpaku in fear we would attack the dojo. Mihai certainly would use the chance to take out the Strongest Disciple with no remorse.'

"It is acknowledged that your organization has grown powerful enough to shake this country to its core. Up until now, we have been working in earnest to resolve this issue in hopes of coming to a peaceful resolution. Major Gailu is here today to work as a mediator and witness," said the Prime Minister.

"It seems you have misunderstood the intentions of our meeting," proclaimed Senzui, "We have not come here to negotiate. We came here to make an announcement. The fleeting days of peace your citizens enjoy will come to an end today."

Just at that moment, Honmaki came rushing in, quickly relaying the news that the police forces at the Tokyo Bay management facility were being decimated by the Armed Division of Yami. Though he was surprised to see Akisame and the others, he kept his professionalism intact as he quickly reported the details.

The televisions behind the Prime Minister were quickly turned on to the channel where a news helicopter was currently capturing the situation. A tanker had departed from the bay without any authorizations or warnings, so the Japanese coastal guard was quick to intercept.

They issued warnings, but were promptly ignored. Before anyone could react though, Mildred pulled and nocked an arrow, pulling it back on her bow. The powerful muscles on her arms contracted as she spun the arrow before releasing it. The arrow flew right into the engine of the helicopter with the arrow spinning to pierce through its metal casing, causing a small explosion that forced the helicopter to descend. Without wasting a second, Mildred smoothly drew out another arrow and fired it, hitting the pilot's hand and preventing him from being able to control his descent.

"Shit!" screamed the pilot as he found his path locked into falling towards an allied ship.

Before the helicopter crashed, the two pilots found the underbelly of the helicopter suddenly cut open. Two figures, a male and female, ripped the pilots out of their seats and jumped away. The pilots barely had time to react when they witnessed two more muscular men jump up from the ship they had been about to crash into and, as they tried to rub their eyes in disbelief, punched the helicopter away back towards the tanker.

Rin and Raki quickly reacted, cutting the helicopter into pieces while batting it away while Marmaduke was charging towards the other battleship, running on the water despite the heavy armor that shrugged off the bullets aiming for her. Even the 20 mm turret couldn't stop her when she put her shield up, blocking the shots that didn't even slow her down.

Marmaduke got onto the ship, ready to wreak havoc when a fist came crashing towards her. Marmaduke quickly put her shield up, protecting herself from being punched, but the punch was so powerful it actually pushed her back.

Marmaduke warily glanced at her opponent, ignoring the numbing sensation going through her left arm as she faced the source of the punch.

"Apa!" grinned Apachai as he stood in front of her with his arms raised.

Senzui felt his eyebrow twitch as he witnessed Sakaki, Shiba, Apachai, Shigure, and the Tanaka couple near the tanker, apparently having hitched a ride with the convoy. They shouldn't have even known about the tanker at all. The primary reason the One Shadow Nine Fist had come out publicly was to distract Ryozanpaku from interfering with their shipment of war funds. The fact they were there meant they had guessed by pure luck, or they knew somehow.

'A leak?' thought Senzui, 'But whom?'

Senzui dismissed the thought of a leak. Everyone in Yami was loyal to the cause… Though he couldn't deny there was a chance someone accidentally let something slip. Or maybe Saiga somehow managed to discover their plans and passed them to Ryozanpaku.

Nonetheless, he wasn't too worried. Defectors from other nations' armies were already en route to the tanker to help reinforce it. They were, of course, Yami spies they had planted inside the army, letting them grow in rank before taking what they could with them. The weakness of Katsujinken, especially Ryozanpaku, was that they would prevent any sort of death if they could. Having various battleships bombarding the convoy would be enough to force them back. Not to mention they couldn't possibly know what was in the containers.

"Our plans have been exposed, but not ruined," stated Seitaro, the kodachi user, "Drive them away and they will have no choice but to retreat once reinforcements from the other ships arrive."

The others nodded as Mildred nocked another arrow. Before she could aim it though, a chain wrapped around her bow before a sickle came flying, almost piercing her eye before she blocked it with her arrow.

Mihai saw Sakaki and felt his blood pressure skyrocketing. He had a grudge that he was eager to repay back in blood and guts. And the best part, Sakaki was coming towards him!

"I'll carve you up for all those punches!" roared Mihai as he clashed with Sakaki.

"I'll be glad to cave your face in for what you tried to do to my disciple!" roared Sakaki back.

Edeltaft, the executioner sword user, tried to attack Sakaki, only to quickly block several right jabs from Shiba. Raki found herself being double teamed by the Tanaka couple, quickly fending them off with her naginata.

Rin narrowed his eyes at all the fighting, deciding to join in and perhaps capture Shigure when he realized something. The masters of Ryozanpaku that were present were more prone to be… destructive compared to the others. He realized just exactly why Sakaki and the others had been chosen to attack their tanker when Sakaki threw a punch that while Mihai dodged, slammed into one of the cargo containers. The attack pushed the container, crashing into a few others before one of them began to precariously tip off the edge.

"Shit! They know!" warned Rin as he quickly jumped over, grabbing his war hammer and slamming the container back into the ship.

Seitaro ended up having to do the same when Shiba punched a container as Edeltaft dodged a punch. The two ended up on protection duty when Apachai managed to push the fight back into the tanker and began to furiously punch anything he saw. Marmaduke ended up having to use her shield and weight to block Apachai's punches.

The Eight Executioner Blade began to feel awkward as they had to protect their precious cargo, something none of them were used to. They were used to pushing the Katsujinken around, forcing them to protect any innocent civilians, and using them as bait if necessary. Now, it was the other way around, since the attacking team clearly had no qualms about destroying their war funds via sinking into the ocean. This meant they had to save it while also being careful about their own attacks. And the worst part, they couldn't do a damn thing.

"Fucking asshole #$#%$%^ !" growled Mihai, his words evolving to gibberish, "Fucking back off! Less you want your disciple to suffer! That's right, we sent a few agents after him! He's gotta be at Ryozanpaku alone right now!"

Sakaki merely smirked as he dodged a slice, all while back kicking another container, much to Rin's misery as he quickly went to prevent it from falling.

At Ryozanpaku

Several Yami masters looked at Ryozanpaku in confusion. They had plans to kidnap Miu and Kenichi as a way to threaten Ryozanpaku. Not to mention the Kuremisago were very interested in reclaiming the previous "holy lady's" daughter. Yet when they arrived, there were absolutely no signs of life. They checked and found no hint of where they might be.

"Where did they go!?" hissed one of them.

They were tempted to burn the building down, but doing so was not only petty, but damaging to their image. None of Yami wanted to be known as some sort of arsonist who cowered before Ryozanpaku that they had to resort to such methods… except for a few certain members, but those members hadn't been included in the mission.

Meanwhile, at a secret Niijima base

"I can't believe we're playing babysitters," huffed Mycroft as he sat on a chair, smoking a pipe, "Christopher looks like he's enjoying himself."

Mycroft and Christopher, though they were a part of Yami, had been hired by the Japanese government, or more specifically and secretly, by Furinji Saiga, to watch over Kenichi and the others at a secret base. It wasn't as if they were deeply tied in with Yami, having worked with the FBI before. In the end, they worked for whoever hired them.

Christopher, at first, had been trying to convince Miu and Kenichi to fall to his way of thinking, showing off his kicks. That eventually attracted the attention of Kisara, who eagerly began to take in his lessons about kicking. In the end, Christopher couldn't help but shift his attention onto Kisara.

"Not bad, mademoiselle," said Christopher as he deflected Kisara's kicks with his own, "Perhaps you would be interested in becoming one of my butterflies? Perhaps even my disciple of Savate."

"Not interested," replied Kisara as she jumped and tried to scratch Christopher's face.

"A pity, such a unique girl," sighed Christopher as he leaned back to dodge, "First the two Ryoznapaku disciples, and now you."

Even after being rejected, Christopher couldn't help giving Kisara some helpful tips here and there about kicking and positioning, allowing Kisara to gain some insight and new moves for her style.

Inside the secret base were not only Kenichi and Miu, but all of the Shinpaku Alliance members. Mycroft and Christopher were there to help protect, along with Kensei's uncle, Hakubi, with his disciples, Ryu and Shokatsu, and the low-wage workers, the Santoryu team, along with specific members of the Zanshin Taisha-ryu.

Kairi was staying with Kenichi and Miu for her own safety too while the parents were out fighting.

Back at the government building.

Senzui felt his eyebrows twitch when he saw the more destructive prone members of Ryozanpaku blatantly destroying their property, all while Rin and Seitaro had to run security duty. Though none of the gold had fallen in thankfully, there would surely be some dented, if not damaged gold inside those containers that might depreciate its value.

"We're leaving," announced Senzui, turning around to leave. They had made their statement, and despite the ambush, their plans were still going ahead on schedule.

"It is today we hereby declare the Eternal Sunset."

Ishida made to follow them, only to suddenly be grabbed by Akisame.

"Now, now, we can't exactly allow one of our 'esteemed' congressmen to so easily commit treason in front of the Prime Minister," smiled Akisame, "Even though you're with Yami, you still swore an oath to Japan. While the earlier plan to trap Ryozanpaku might have skirted around that issue, you are blatantly doing it right now. We shouldn't let him go so easily, right Prime Minister?"

"Correct," grinned the Prime Minister, "Though we are not able to do anything about the One Shadow Nine Fist as they are considered 'foreign' dignitaries, you councilman Ishida, are not. To so shamelessly abandon your fellow countrymen that you swore to protect in front of me is not something I will let go."

If it hadn't been for the fact that Ryozanpaku was there to back him up with the others attacking the tanker, the Prime Minister would've been warned by his bodyguard to be careful. However, seeing that that table was tipped in the favor, the Prime Minister decided to reach out a little.

"You can't hold me here!" barked Ishida, "They won't let you do such a thing!"

Ishida looked over to the One Shadow Nine Fist, who were already leaving. As Senzui was the last one to walk out, he glanced over at them.

"He's all yours," stated Senzui indifferently, as Ishida's usefulness was at its end. Not to mention there wasn't anything important Ishida had, such as the location of their hidden base. Nor was it worth fighting for when they knew it was a trap to hold them.

Ishida could only gape in shock at being abandoned as the door closed behind Senzui.

"Well then, let's show you just what crimes you've committed," declared Akisame as his eyes glowed.

Ishida felt himself shrinking as the looming shadows of others began to cover him before screaming in fear.

Mildred growled in anger as Shigure managed to keep dodging her arrows before closing in the distance, attacking with the back of her sword.

"Using the back of your sword? You Katsujinken are always the same," huffed Mildred as she jumped above Shigure before firing a shot at almost point-blank range.

Shigure not only dodged it, but she grabbed the arrow by the end of the shaft with her index and middle finger. Before Mildred had time to comprehend that as she landed, Shigure had already grabbed her bow and reversed it in her grip while notching the captured arrow, aiming for Mildred's stomach.

Kousaka-ryuu: Kagaibanare (Kousaka style: Mirror Release)

Mildred had to bend forward, pushing her hips and butt out to buy enough distance and time to catch the arrow before it went through her stomach before lashing out at Shigure, who dodged.

"Trying to shoot me with my own bow and arrow!?" hissed Mildred, impressed and insulted by what Shigure had done, especially since she couldn't stop the tip from actually breaking the skin on her abs.

"We have incoming!" warned Tsutomu as more ships clearly waving the black flag of Yami approached them.

"Tch, time to go," scoffed Sakaki, clearly unhappy and wanting to go on with the fight.

The seven of the Eight Executioner Blades begged otherwise. They would've loved to cut loose, but they ended up spending half the time trying to save their cargo. In fact, they ended up losing one when Shiba, Sakaki, and Apachai happened to punch the same cargo container at the same time, sending it flying into the water. To make it worse, Shigure had cut the container in half as it went flying.

"Let's go," said Mayu as she and Tsutomu disengaged from Raki, as did the other masters, jumping back onto the convoy. With a nod, the captain ordered the ships to turn back to the harbor. They didn't have the firepower to fight the battleships clearly on their way to back up Yami. Nor did Yami attempt to chase the fleeing ships, knowing it was vital to secure their war funds.

Secret Yami Base

The One Shadow Nine Fist was waiting at the harbor as the tanker pulled up the Eight Executioner Blades, looking mighty weary.

'It's a good thing we didn't put everything into the tanker,' thought Senzui.

A good majority of the funds had been in the tanker, but not everything. Some of it had been transported via other means of transportation as a backup. They had a few pieces of equipment that had been raided by a mysterious party, so Senzui decided to make a few backup plans.

"Where was the leak?" asked Seijiro as they landed on the docks.

"Unknown," replied Senzui, "We're looking into it right now, but it's not from our end. We merely supplied the funds and the location of it. Your group was responsible for transportation and security. Perhaps it was one of your member's rampant acts that gave away the secrecy."

A pointed glance at a specific scythe user was all they needed to know who he was blaming.

The other members of the Eight Executioners Blades tried their best to not look at Mihai at that statement. Raki gave him an irritating side glance while Mildred merely huffed before turning away. The result ended up with Mihai beginning to steam up in anger as his face turned red. He had been having fun slaughtering the guards at the docks, baiting them to call more reinforcements so he could increase his kill count.

In hindsight, it could've been what brought the other members of Ryozanpaku towards them faster than expected. They had baited Ryozanpaku to a government building with some success, but clearly, Ryozanpaku had expected such a tactic to the fact they even managed to gather other masters. Taiki and Danki weren't too much of a surprise, as they had been seen before allied with Ryozanpaku. The Bearman was a surprise, but then there were always rumors about old-time masters living in the mountains in seclusion. How he was related to Ryoznpaku was unknown, but the logistics team should be able to find the connection. And finally, the US soldier named Gailu was also a surprise, but somewhat within expectations when Jennifer Grey's name had been mentioned.

That meant that they had the others in reserve, waiting to see what Yami would've done. And since they had connections to inspector Honmaki as well as Ryozanpaku sympathizers within the police force, it was possible that they had been letting Ryozanpaku listen in to the reports. Not to mention Saiga was still out there somewhere with connections to the government to help out. And with Mihai's bloodlust, it probably tipped them off to investigate the harbor.

At least, that was the conclusion Senzui came up with. In short, it was all Mihai's fault that Ryozanpaku had managed to locate their mode of transportation and interfere in time.

"Nonetheless, the funds have arrived," said Senzui, turning around to leave, "We will proceed with the next part of the plan. We have agents already attempting to recover the container that was lost in the ocean, though some funds may have been lost now."

What wasn't known to both Yami and Ryozanpaku was what was really inside the container at the ocean's bottom. What should've been contained inside of all pure gold bars was instead two rows of golden sponge cakes that were quickly dissolving in water.

Secret Shinpaku Base

"Kekeke," grinned Niijima as he looked at the newly acquired gold bars that he had 'confiscated' from Yami. Since he already knew where the Yami funds would have been held, he had the Zanshin Taishi-ryu raid one of the containers and switch them with the cakes. The ninjas had purposely taken the gold towards the back of the entrance and the middle rows, where it was harder to see if there was anything wrong from a glance.

"My conquest for world domination grows closer and closer!" cackled Niijima loudly… until Kenichi and Miu slapped him down to the ground with a paper fan.

Both swore to keep a better eye on Niijima… though Miu was willing to turn the other way when Niijma bribed her with two gold bars.

As for Christopher and Mycroft, the two promptly returned back home after their job was finished, as they had no desire to see Sakaki. Christopher, however, did give Kisara an open invite to join him as one of his butterflies as well as some written tips about improving her kicking style.

"So, it looks like we managed to make sure Shigure didn't get kidnapped," announced Akisame as they all returned home. The Bearman was currently residing at Tsuji's new apartment, provided by Niijima. What Tsuji didn't know was that he had signed a deal with the 'devil', or more specifically, an 'alien overlord', and that his life basically belonged to Niijima.

"The Elder is still fighting that guy, isn't he?" said Sakaki as he cracked open a beer, "That guy must be impressive to be able to keep up with him for so long."

"Saiga's agent has confirmed that they're still fighting," nodded Akisame, "Hopefully the Elder will have the upper hand soon and help us in this fight. Though not having the Elder here with us is troublesome, the fact that he is also keeping Yami's most powerful fighter occupied is also a blessing."

"Luckily, we also know the location of their base if they've kept it at the same location," nodded Kensei, referring to the trio's time-traveling knowledge.

"Luc…ky," drawled Shigure, giving a peace sign.

"Apa, so what should we do now?" asked Apachai.

"In the end, we can do what we do best," hummed Akisame as all the masters' eyes began to glow, "The great 'Wait for the opportune moment and beat them up' plan!"

"That's not a plan!" cried Kenichi before being shocked by a test dummy as he mis-swung his katana.

Despite having future knowledge, Niijima and the others had no real way of stopping Yami from raiding a military base halfway across the world, especially since not even Niijima knew where it was. He couldn't even issue a general warning, as it would draw unnecessary attention to him. And so Yami began to launch tactical strikes at military bases to showcase their power. However, they did get some warnings thanks to Jennifer Grey and Gailu issuing warnings to everyone who would listen tothem, thanks to their position and influence in the military.

So the only thing Ryozanpaku and the Shinpaku Alliance could do… was relax and prepare for the next phase.

And thus, Kenichi was currently in a school-issued marathon with Miu by his side.

"I hope I don't get kidnapped again," whispered Kenichi, remembering it was at this time a black van took him hostage. According to the interrogation that Akisame and Sakaki had conducted in the last timeline, Shigure had been uncooperative, so the scientists of Yami had hoped by kidnapping and holding Kenichi hostage, she would obey their orders.

However, since Shigure hadn't been kidnapped this time, it was unlikely that Kenichi would be kidnapped. Just in case, though, a few Zanshin Taishi-ryu members were keeping watch.

"Is it safe to assume you probably already know where Yami's base is?" whispered Natsu to Niijima, who was currently 'jogging' at his pace. The only reason Natsu didn't shoo Niijima away was that he was being a good fangirl repellant at the moment.

"If it hasn't changed," replied Niijima, who was jogging while also operating his PDA. something people really shouldn't attempt to do.

Natsu remained silent, pondering about the situation. While he was a part of Yomi, who was in part of Yami, he should've reported to them that Ryozanpaku knew the locations of their hidden main base. At the same time, he did owe the time traveler trio for saving his sister's life, letting her experience the gift of life. Not to mention he wasn't a fan of what he was hearing about the Eternal Setting Sun. Natsu knew that his master, despite following the orders to help implement the Eternal Setting Sun, wasn't much a fan of it either.

Before he could really think about it, he felt two soft objects collide on his back. Having felt these objects many times before, whether intentional or not, he knew who had just jumped on his back.

"Get off me, exhibitionist," growled Natsu in slight annoyance.

"Don't wanna," replied Renka with a cheerful grin as her bangs began to wag like cat ears, "Plus, you know you like this."

While Natsu struggled to get Renka off while maintaining his 'princely' persona, Hayase and Elfreda jogged up next to Kenichi and Miu.

"My master wished to tell you that should you wish to join us along with Shigure, you will always be welcomed," stated Hayase.

"I refuse," replied Kenichi curtly, "My master and I would never join Yami."

"See, told you he'd refuse," said Elfreda.

"It was an offer my master wanted to relay and try," said Hayase, "Though it would've not likely succeeded, it was his desire to see his sister-in-discipleship and her disciple join him. If there is even the smallest chance, then it is worth testing."

"I guess, but even I could've told you the chances of it were still zero," hummed Elfreda before looking over to Kenichi, "Aren't you nervous about all this? For all you know, we could still try to do something."

"Despite being on opposite sides, I trust you wouldn't drag the innocent populace into this fight," stated Kenichi, though mentally adding the word 'yet', "At least the current members of Yomi that are here. I can't say much about the scythe user."

"Ah, Sigmaringen," nodded Elfreda, "Yea, can't blame you for him. His master is a real piece of work. My master doesn't like him, nor does a few others, but that's that."

'Not to mention we have others watching, ready to take you all down,' thought Miu, glancing at Taiki, who was currently watching over the marathon as a teacher.

"Aren't you supposed to be back with Yami, though?" asked Miu.

"Not yet, though we'll most likely be transferring out soon," acknowledged Elfreda. "But for now, we'll be here. Plus, it's fun to watch this comedy-drama happening in front of us," pointed out Elfreda.

"Huff, huff, I can't go on," breathed out Izumi as she had to lean against a wall.

"Come on, I've always told you you need to exercise a little more," lectured Makoto gently.

"I'm just too tired," said Izumi.

"I can help you," grinned Sho as he had chosen to run with them despite their slow speed, "Just get on my back, and we can catch up easily! I don't mind~!"

"Idiot, that defeats the purpose of Izumi getting her exercise!" shouted Makoto.

Meanwhile, in the background, Daimune was crying tears of blood while viciously stabbing a voodoo doll of Sho that she had made with a needle, both of which had come out from between her breasts.

Kenichi managed to go through the whole marathon without any incident, as there were no capture orders for him.

Meanwhile, halfway across the world in a desert terrain, Hongo mentally frowned at what they were doing. Especially when Mihai almost killed two innocent civilians, a woman and her child, who only happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. He, of course, stopped it. However, this sense of needless slaughter wasn't what he wanted. With that in mind, he turned to leave after making sure the civilians had made it out safely.

Kenichi was sparring with Miu at Ryozanpaku when they received the most unexpected visitor.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" asked a female voice from the entrance of Ryozanpaku, "I was hoping to speak to Ryozanpaku."

The masters glanced at each other before sending Kenichi with Apachai to check just who was knocking on their door. They heard someone gruntin, trying to push the door open but failing.

"Ah, the door's pretty heavy, we'll open it up for you!" shouted Kenichi, giving the person who was pushing against the door a warning before opening it.

Quickly opening and peeking outside, Kenichi blinked as he saw two women standing in front of the door. Upon further inspection, he realized he recognized one of them as Yui, the girl from the DFOD whom Rin had taken to care for (Not to be confused with the other Yui, the kodachi disciple). Then he realized he recognized the other lady, a clearly blind woman whom they knew was Rin's half-sister. Kiyoi Kido, the one whom they investigated to find Shigure in the last timeline. Except for this time, they had no reason to find her, and so they hadn't bothered. Now she was knocking on their doorsteps, asking for them.

"Mmm, this tea smells nice," complimented Kiyoi as she and Yui sat inside the dojo with Akisame making the tea, "So are the snacks."

Tochumaru and Noir preened as they delivered the snacks, getting a small rub from Yui before returning to their respective masters.

"So, what brings you here?" asked Akisame as he finished preparing the tea, pouring the steaming concoction into tea cups.

"My name is Kiyoi Kido," said Kiyoi as she introduced herself, "You may know my half-brother, Tachibana Rin of the Eight Executioner Blades. Yui is someone my brother introduced me to. Since she had nobody to look after her, I gladly took her in. She's been a loyal friend ever since, always helping me.."

"Kido-sama!" blushed Yui, "You praise me too much! I am merely your servant who has been protected by you and your brother. When several members of Yami began to leer and grope at me, you threatened to call your brother on them if they didn't stop. When they ignored you, you didn't hesitate and called him. They then received summons in the next second, forcing them to leave. The next day, Tachibana-sama actually came to personally apologize to me about their disgraceful attitudes and that they were being punished. I can never repay you for all the help you've given me after picking me up from my old master!"

"Still, I believe there's one more group you need to thank," giggled Kiyoi, "The ones who freed you from your old master and caretaker."

Yui blushed as she realized she was in the presence of Ryozanpaku and praised their enemy when it had been them who freed her in the first place.

"I'm sorry!" apologized Yui quickly, "I can never forget that it was Ryozanpaku who freed me in the first place! Your grandmaster offered me a new life, but I chose another instead. But it was still you who gave me a new chance in life!"

"Now now, there's no need for such flattery," said Akisame with a calming tone, "We respect your decision, and are glad that you are healthy and happy. However, we are curious as to why you've decided to come to visit."

"Then I will be blunt," stated Kiyoi, "I want you to stop my brother. I live a life of luxury thanks to him, but I never wanted him to stain his hands like this. My brother recently informed me to leave the country immediately. It seems that my brother and his companions are planning to overthrow several countries to tilt the scales of powers around the world. Their first target is Japan. Please, stop my brother and his companions! He's associated with absolute monsters in the underground martial arts world! Only you're capable of stopping him! I've decided to stay to witness and experience it all, but Yui shouldn't have to suffer as such. I beg of you to escort Yui to safety before all this happens, just in case the worst-case scenario happens."

"Kido-sama!" exclaimed Yui, "I told you that my place will always be next to you, no matter what happens!"

"Yui," sighed Kiyoi worriedly before turning back to Akisame and the others, "Although I do not know anything about their hidden base, I can only plead that you be able to find something. Any information that I learn, I will turn over to you all as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, we'll stop them!" laughed Sakaki confidently.

"That's good to hear," sighed Kiyoi in relief and belief, "With that done, I should head back soon. The servants my brother hired will be worried about me."

As Kiyoi and Yui were about to leave, Kiyoi couldn't help but ask where Shigure was.

"Here," said Shigure, hanging upside down from the ceiling.

"Ah, you're the disciple sister my brother spoke about," smiled Kiyoi, not at all surprised while Yui almost jumped in shock. Then again, being blind could've made it so Kiyoi didn't notice Shigure was hanging upside down.

"Yes," replied Shigure.

"He was always complimenting you whenever your name came up in our conversations," smiled Kiyoi, "Though I may not be a disciple of the Kosaka style, the fact my brother calls you sister is enough for me to call you cousin if you don't mind."

"I don't… mind at… all," nodded Shigure.

"Good," smiled Kiyoi, "Then as your cousin… I want to know more about this fiance that you have. My brother said that you were dating Sakaki Shio, the Karate master, and that it seemed to be getting pretty serious."

Sakaki, who had been taking a drink, couldn't help but spit out his beer in shock at this reply.

"Oh look, a rainbow," commented Yui while Sakaki was blushing crimson while stammering.

Meanwhile, Kenichi had notified Niijima about the meeting, who was sending a particularly important message to someone.

"So they're gone," stated Kenichi as he arrived at school, only to see Sho, Rachel, Hayase, Elfreda, Chikage, and Natsu had all disappeared from Koryo High.

"Yep. Recalled by Yomi," nodded Niijma.

"Then we'll have to be ready next," said Kenichi, "Incidentally, my mother apparently won a drawing for an all-expense-paid trip to Hawaii for six. She invited Natsu and Kaede, but Natsu declined, saying he had business to take care of while urging Kaede to go. Was that your idea?"

"Nope, that was Hermit," replied Niijima, "He made up the drawing so he could use it to get Kaede out of the country. However, he doesn't trust anyone to take care of Kaede except for your family. So he opted to have your family look after her. He was kind enough to make it for six in case you decided to go and bring Miu with you, but he knew it was unlikely. Still, making it six people was most likely to make it convincing enough for your parents to go."

Kenichi nodded as his parents had invited him to go, but he declined, stating that he had a good reason why he needed to stay. Though Saori didn't like it, Mototsuga allowed it as he could see the firm conviction behind Kenichi's eyes. Mototsuga, of course, bawled his eyes out when Kenichi left the house to return to Ryozanpaku.

As Kenichi looked up to the sky, watching a few birds fly by, he made his decision.

"I'm going to tell everybody else the truth," stated Kenichi calmly, causing Niijima to balk at that idea, "We're nearing the end game. There's no point in holding back the secret any longer. The Tanaka family already knows, and so do Natsu and Kaede. They're our friends, and deserve to know."

"This might backfire greatly," hissed Niijima, "Knowing that their future before was certain death might scare them away."

"It won't," said Kenichi confidently, "They're willing to risk their lives for this, both past and present timeline. Not to mention, we have the slight advantage of knowing what will come. You can't tell me that you, my worst-best friend, don't have some sort of evil backup plan for this upcoming battle."

"... Kekeke, you truly do know me," grinned Niijima, "Fine. I'll gather all the Shinpaku members up. Who else should I invite?"

"Takeda's and Freya's masters for now. I can't think of anyone else that doesn't know the secret," hummed Kenichi.

"Then we'll meet up after school. That way we have enough time to prepare," nodded Niijima.

The two looked over to Miu, who nodded in agreement about the plan. The time for truth would soon be upon them. Then it was time for war.

Soon the time for truth will come! The endgame is near!... As well as this story! Damn, I didn't think I'd come this far. To think it's already been more than three years since I first wrote this story. Enjoyed writing the whole ship fight scene heheh. Put in the more destructive members of Ryozanpaku at that scene there.