By thy name

Akiko had met up with a really, really pissed off Banshin. He had taken at least four laps around the entire city, just to escape that fat woman, who, just happened to have accomplices... They spent five minutes arguing pointlessly and then began to discuss the battle.

"So... We're fighting two guys Kenshin and Sanosuke right?" He nodded,"You'll be fighting Sanosuke and I'll be facing Kenshin. I am more capable at performing illusion and small amounts of defensive and speed strikes. You?"

"Lets see... Brute strength, power throws, painful punches..." She raised an eye brow.

"Kami-sama! Is that all you can do? Even an idiot knows to work in defensive maneuvers! Although being strong is a plus point, you can't get very far relying on strength alone."

"Well my opponents are always defeated fast by my awesome strength-"

"Was Sanosuke defeated easily by you so called 'awesome strength' in the first battle when you fought him?"

"Um..."

"That's what I thought. Listen up. I'll cover as much of you as I can with my illusions. Beyond that, you are on your own."He nodded again, with little enthusiasm.

"Lets just get a good nights sleep before daybreak." With that the two rested in the motel rooms beds, which Banshin reluctantly paid for.

The morning breeze was light and gentle, the day had no clouds as well. Perfect for fighting! Akiko stretched as Banshin gobbled his breakfast down. She loaded her sleeves with hand held weapons and wrapped her bandages tightly on her arms. She smiled adrenaline pumping though her veins, she was just itching for a real fight.

"Lets go." Banshin grumbled because she had taken so long and spoke in a hurrying tone. She grinned like a Cheshire cat when he tread on a present she had 'forgotten' to tell him about.

"What's this supposed to be?" Akiko laughed.

"Dog crap." His face fell and he made some odd movements trying to scrap the stuff off his combat boots without touching it. She jumped to avoid a really disgusting boot that was thrown at her.

"I'm hurt... Why would you want to attack me?" She pouted jokingly.

"You! Its all your damn fault!"

"For what? You being too stupid to see that you were about to step on an animals droppings? Seriously! Have something more substantial than that." She smirked thinking he'd have nothing to say.

"What about this!" He grabbed a bucket and filled it from a horses trough then emptied it on Akiko. She screamed and ran.

"Come back here!"

"No way!" She rushed to the meeting ground ahead of time. The Dojo was in sight. She was red in the face and panting from all the sudden exercise. She giggled and shouted at Banshin.

"Hurry up! You're so slow!" Banshin frowned.

"Stop messing with me woman!" she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Nya!"

The sun just peeked above the trees. The two combator's were poised and ready for them. They had been more than a little shocked that she had come to the fight yakking and giggling like a hyena though.

Kaoru was worried about Kenshin. Would he survive this fight? Kenshin was armed with his famous sakabato. But, was that enough? She had always been watching and having faith in him... But... She wanted to help him more than anything...

"Okay! Let's fight! No cheap stuff!" She cheerfully announced. Sanosuke was weirded out, who comes for a battle all perky and happy? The audience that had gathered consisted of Kaoru, Megumi, Yahiko and possibly a couple of birds.

"Kage jin!(shadow person)" The shadows formed by each person rose and twisted into a three dimensional figure.

"Inu(dog)" the figure shortened and became a dog. The dog had sharp teeth and was growling fiercely at its opponents.

Sano and Banshin lunged at each other and for some weird reason Sanosuke missed Banshin when his fist should have connected. Akiko and Kenshin were squared off. Kenshin had his hand resting of his hilt.

"This one asks that you draw your sword."Akiko pondered. She looked at the dog beside her, he was an utterly loyal creation.

"Kage sakana." She watched as a shadow fish appeared. Kenshin stared slightly confused.

"Um... I-I mean Kage Katana!" a sword formed in her hands. The object was really large... A bit too large for a girl her size to handle. Yet, she gripped the sword with ease... Strange.

"Get ready." She launched herself at him.

"Hikari!(Light)" The sword glowed brightly and she leapt high into the air, the sun shielded her from view. Kenshin swiveled his head back and forth to determine her position.

He blocked just in time as she landed. Stranger thing was that her blade did not sound like a blade as it came upon his sword. She smirked.

"I can see why the idiot over there couldn't defeat you and your friend." Banshin was in a tie, she pondered on why he did not look like he was advantaged. She had put up some illusions for the opponent to get past before he could lay a finger on him.

"Why did you choose to challenge me? You don't seem the type to look for fights?" she frowned, her down blow was countered as well.

"Is that because I'm a girl?" Her expression became menacing.

"You're a girl?Oro?" She twitched slightly.

"You are so dead!" Her swings became faster and more wild. Kenshin parried and blocked everyone of them, she tried to block his with the same accuracy and was falling short.

(AN:This was partly due to the fact that she was not actually holding a sword, but, her beloved dagger. Have you ever tried to block a sword with a dagger? Its difficult I tell you. Remember that she is using illusions.)

He was about to take swipe at her shoulder. She dodged backwards allowing her arms to be exposed to the blow. The sword nicked the wrapped bandages. The loose bandages began to fall, this revealed her mutilation scars for all to see. She chuckled under her breath.

"There goes my fashion statement." Kenshin had never liked fighting an opponent who had done nothing wrong(except for the infiltration). But, she was injured, a girl and she was not a bad person. Even if she had challenged him by free will, it had not felt right from the start.

Megumi gasped, she had heard of such cases before but had never come across a self mutilation patient in her career as a doctor. Kaoru was shocked, this girl had blood all over her arm! Yahiko gritted his teeth, those wounds were definitely done on purpose. Which bastard would do such a thing?

For a moment Kenshin spaced out, thoughts rushing through his head. Akiko smiled, she had finally caught him off guard. Kaoru knew this and shouted to snap him out of it. Her deadly blow was turned against her as he jabbed the hilt of his blade into the top of her wrist, knocking the dagger far away.

"Time for my secret weapon!" She spread her fingers out into the air above her as Kenshin tried to deal another blow at her midriff.

"Chocolate!"she crouched so low and swung a leg to trip him so that Kenshin stumbled over her and fell face first into the ground.

"Oh! What a pretty rainbow!" the sky was so clear that all the participants began to doubt her sanity.

"Oro? Are you al-" Her eyes suddenly blazed in rage.

"That's my Gouda!" She let loose a string of weaponry from her sleeves. Kenshin's eyes popped out from his skull as he fled from this reign of terror.

"Muhahaha!" Banshin stared and Sanosuke stared. They both agreed on one thing. This girl had finally lost it.

Kenshin was just plain freaked out.

"Operation pretend to become mentally unstable is a success!" The area fell to silence.

"Well... It worked didn't it?" Everyone nodded.

"Stop looking at me like that."They looked away.

"Gah!"

She looked up at the sky thoughtfully, mused about Banshin's fight and concluded.

"It seems to me that you're much more skilled than you let on. I don't think that we could win. So lets call a truce. Only I need to find some information." They wondered why the heck she was being so nonchalant about a fight that she had arranged.

"I'm actually not much of a grudge holder unlike someone I know..." Banshin yelled a 'hey'.

"Why did you demand a fight from this one then? If you do not hold a grudge?" She paused.

"Hmm... This guy asked me to. Oh! And he said that you beat up Soujiro and then disrespected him, something like that..."Banshin looked a tinge green.

"Wasn't Seta Soujiro the young guy in the Juppongata?" Sanosuke conversed with Kenshin.

"I think so... But this one only told him to find his own meaning of life. This one did not do anything dishonorable to him.

"Oh,"She mused on this,"Oh. Okay. Well then... You have some explaining to do." She glared at Banshin. He grunted.

"I lied obviously. Only someone as stupid as you would-" A large gust of wind blew past Banshin, a chill went down his spine. Electromagnetic waves poured from Akiko's body.

"Stupid?" He ran like the wind. Somehow, even though he had tricked her... She was kind of upset that he was gone. After all the times she spent making him pay for all her expenses...Sigh... Good times...

"Why don't you some inside? Its almost lunch time. I'm going to prepare lunch."Kaoru's lips tugged themselves and Akiko smiled.

"Sure! Thank you!" Now they had a prankster on their side...

I feel the pain already...