The boy was getting too out of hand. His anger flared up more often. He was slowly losing his grip on reality. On what was good and bad. Those lines were blurring.

He wanted to punch a wall, to kill some one. He felt guilty of taking his anger out on his mother. He never wanted to hurt her, but yet he always did.

"Damn it!" he said through gritted teeth.

"I am almost ready…." He said to himself. He almost had the Amakakeru Ryo no Hirameki mastered, and when he did, he would challenge his father.

He smiled at his own deviousness.

"Yahiko, how do you use this thing?" Kenji asked holding up the sakabato.

"Huh? It's a sword, you use it how you would use any sword."

"Don't lie." Kenji said, his self-control slipping. Yahiko always irritated him. "This is not a normal sword, it's a sakabato."

"Ask Kenshin, he knows the sword better than anyone"

"But I am asking you. Or do you not want to help me?"

"It will take a while for you to use it since the blade is on the other side, but you could reverse the blade if need be."

He smiled. That was what he wanted to hear.

"Oh, thank you." He said and walked off.

"Kaoru that son of yours keeps getting stranger and stranger as the years go by." Yahiko told Kaoru as she approached.

"Oh really? Have you forgotten that you were just as petulant as he is now?" she asked slyly.

"I…I wasn't!" Yahiko replied a shade of red appearing on his cheeks.

"I see you remember."

"By the way, where is Kenshin?"

"He's out buying the things for dinner."

"Poor guy, why the heck did he marry you?" Yahiko asked jokingly.

Kaoru reverted back to her 17-year-old self and stuck her tongue out at Yahiko for that comment and smacked him on the side of the head.

"Hey that hurt."

"That is to remind you that I am still stronger than you."

"In your dreams, Ugly."

"You really have a death wish don't you?" Kaoru said. It had been a long time since Yahiko had called her ugly.

"My I have walked in on a lovely scene." Said Megumi who had just arrived.

"Megumi, long time no see." Yahiko and Kaoru chorused.

"Good Evening." She said.

"Megumi, what brings you here?" Kaoru asked.

"Nothing in particular, I just wanted to visit you people."

Looking at Yahiko alone she had to ask, "By the way, Yahiko, where is Tsubame?"

"Tsubame went to visit Tae-san at the Akabeko. She'll be here shortly."

Kenji sat alone in a corner thinking about the news Yahiko had just given him. He didn't care about what was going on outside, but as soon as he saw Megumi he knew that he had to go greet her.

"Good evening Megumi-san." He said, trying to look pleased.

"My, Kenji you've grown so much."

"Thank You Megumi-san. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do."

"Yes, don't let me stop you." Megumi told him.

Something was wrong with the boy. She could see something in him, but she brushed that feeling aside.

Kenji wasn't very fond of Megumi. She scared him in a way.

'That woman is very keen. I feel like she could see through me and I don't like that.' He thought as he walked away.

He didn't consider her a threat per say, but she was a nuisance. He had to be extra careful or else she might ruin his plans.

His mother could never find out what his intentions were.