Well, slightly shorter than the previous chapter but at least a much quicker update.

Chapter 15

The remaining two days passed quickly. Saitou stayed away preparing last minute details; Aoshi stayed inside the dojo meditating for most of the day; Misao occupied herself with Katsura's children, teaching them her favorite kenpo moves, while Yahiko watched with a disinterested air although he was really analyzing each move down to the last detail. Hiko did what he did best and drank sake, taking extended walks around Tokyo. He drug Kenshin around with him one day, saying he would serve as a convenient means of transportation for his groceries. Kenshin for his part had gritted his teeth and obliged him, letting Hiko saddle his sakabatou with as many buckets and bags as it would hold. It almost seemed iniquitous that his sword should be used for such menial tasks. By the time they started back to the dojo, Kenshin was sure he'd have a permanent dent in his shoulder once he put his sword down.

Kaoru busied herself cleaning up the dojo and house, dragging Yahiko and Misao over to help her at random intervals. Sano somehow managed to disappear at these times, doing who knew what. Gambling, Kaoru surmised. Megumi, to her credit, stayed at the dojo and did most of the cooking. Gensai-sensei had offered to watch over her patients for her during the next three days.

Katsura spent most of his hours in the dojo yard, so intent on practicing that he usually didn't hear Kaoru call him for meals until the third time. Kaiba joined him occasionally, when he deemed the kenpo moves Misao was demonstrating just weren't showy enough to be worth learning.

The day of the attack arrived too soon. Breakfast was quieter than usual and lunch almost completely void of conversation. Chief-of-police Kawaji stopped by in the afternoon, letting them know that Saitou was still going ahead with his plan, although from the way he was talking, Kawaji had serious doubts about the plan's ingenuity. From the sound of things, Saitou hadn't deigned to ask the chief of police for his input. Probably he had simply told Kawaji that things were going to be run with Shinsengumi methods and efficiency and left it at that.

By supper time, the atmosphere was positively solemn, although attempts at conversation were made. They all fell flat. Even Misao wasn't her usual chipper self. The only people that did any extended talking were the children. Yahiko and Kaiba were quieter than Kaiba's siblings though. Yahiko was furious that he wasn't being allowed to fight and Kaiba was as well, although he wasn't quite sure he would want to fight if given the chance.

"I feel like I'm in a burial ground," Hiko commented as Kaoru stood to clear the dishes. "Doesn't anyone have something optimistic to say?"

"Genki, genki minna!" Misao cried, jumping to her feet. "Come on, we've faced worse than this before!" She looked at Aoshi, looking solemn as usual, and asked with a questioning tone, "Haven't we?"

Kenshin stood up, sliding his sakabatou into his hakama. "I'm going to go over there," He said, making his way to the door. Katsura made to follow him.

"But it's still early!" Kaoru said. "You can wait another hour at least." She didn't feel good about this it all.

"It's already past nine Jou-chan," Sano said, surprised himself at how late it had become. "Guess I better get over there too. Can't have Saitou thinking I'm slacking."

Hiko waved at the three. "Enjoy yourselves. I think I'll stay here a while longer." He took a languorous sip of his sake.

"Suit yourself," Sano shrugged. Kenshin's shishou confused him at times.

"We should be going too," Misao said anxiously. "It'll take a while to get to the docks. Omasu and Okon are probably already there."

Aoshi stood in agreement. "Kamiya, take care. I don't expect casualties from either end but you can never be too safe."

Misao nodded fervently. "Right, keep the gate locked. If we needa come running in, we'll just break it down."

"Don't even! Then I'll have to fix it!" Yahiko retorted.

"Yare yare, such a whiner," Sano said, cuffing Yahiko on the head. Yahiko shoved his hand away viciously. "Maa, let's get this show on the road," Sano said. "See ya Jou-chan. Don't let Yahiko get too scared okay?" Yahiko let out something between a screech and a growl.

"Kiyotsukete ne!" Kaoru said, following as everyone filed out the door to go their separate ways. She waited until the last hint of clothing disappeared from sight before turning to head back inside. She sat at the table with a sigh. She should be out there fighting too. But Megumi had told her that any more injuries to her ribs could result in permanent damage. If she hadn't stayed of her own accord, Kenshin probably would have had a conniption fit anyway. She could hear him now, 'Kaoru-dono, don't do that, Kaoru-dono, get some rest.' The more she thought about it, the more it ticked her off. He acted as if she didn't have even a rudimentary knowledge of kenjutsu! Kaoru had to keep telling herself it was only because he didn't want anything bad to happen to keep her blood pressure under "explode."

"I'm leaving. Make sure those kids don't follow me." Hiko's voice dragged her thoughts from the long wait ahead of her.

"H-hai. Leaving already Hiko-san?" She glanced at the clock. Already almost ten! "Do you think it'll take long?" Kaoru asked as Hiko threw his cape around his shoulders.

He flashed her a smile that contained a trace of a smirk. "Not on my part. Most probably we'll be back by early morning. By the time you wake up, everyone will be in their beds."

"By the time Yahiko wakes up." Kaoru corrected. She knew there was no way she was sleeping that night.

"Busu!" Yahiko broke in. "Don't think you can make me go to bed! I may not be able to go fight but I'm gonna sit here until the last person walks through that door!" And so saying, Yahiko faced the door with crossed arms, determined to keep to his assertion.

"Good luck with that boy." Hiko managed to keep all traces of playful mockery from his tone until he added, "Try not to fall on your shinai, okay?"

Yahiko glared at the self-assured swordsman. "Don't worry about me, a samurai can go for days without sleep."

"Hmph, you sound as stupid as my baka deshi did at your age."

Yahiko swelled with pride at being compared to Kenshin. Who cared if it wasn't meant as a compliment.

"Take care, Hiko-san," Kaoru said as he strode out the door. "I'm going to make a bath for everyone when they get back." Why not? There was nothing else she was going to do. "Yahiko-"

"I'm staying right here," He interrupted. "If you fall asleep, I'll tell you when they get back."

Kaoru gave him a look that plainly conveyed her thoughts about his intended all-night vigil. "Fine. Don't come complaining to me when you have a crick in your neck tomorrow. I'm going to get some wood and–do something. Don't try sneaking off, got it?"

"I said I'm staying right here," Yahiko retorted.

Kaoru glanced at the table. Shinta had fallen asleep sitting up. "Kaiba-kun," Kaiba was slouching against the shoji, staring blankly at the door. "Would you put your brother to bed please?"

Kaiba seemed to be considering something. "I'll put him with Yumiko," He said finally. "I'm going to stay up and wait with Yahiko." Kaoru rolled her eyes. Stupid kids. She wasn't going to discourage them though.

"Alright. Ganbare yo." As she stepped out to get the wood, she looked up at the moonless, cloudy sky. Tiny snowflakes were floating down gently, the first snow of the year. Kaoru held her hand out, catching several of the delicate ice crystals in her palm. Please be safe everyone.

000

It started at the river, as predicted. Sano was cursing his bad luck to get stuck with such boring work when the first wave of Heaven's Judges surged forward. They had waited for the soldiers to get past the middle of the bridge before they emerged from their hiding places in the nearby woods. Sano had strategically kept himself on the bank. He was pretty sure cutting down a bridge full of people might be one of the first things the Heaven's Judges had in mind.

Doing a quick head count as men poured from the woods, Sano didn't see as many as he had expected. Hell, it almost seemed like there were more Meiji soldiers than Heaven's Judges. Then he didn't have any more time because the fight had started.

"First unit, across the bridge!" Kawaji called when he saw the Heaven's Judges burst from the woods. He had been given the position of Commander. Sano had thought it a lousy choice.

The men standing on the bridge panicked. "Kawaji shireikan, they're coming from both sides!" One of the men cried, pointing wildly. Sano saw he was right. More men, a lot more than were on the East side, were rushing towards the bridge from the West side of the river. Well, wasn't that a nice surprise. They thought they could trap everyone in the middle of the river and take them out at their leisure.

"Ready your weapons!" Kawaji ordered. "Fire when I say!" He gave the men several seconds to lift their carbines, then shouted, "Ute!" A handful of Heaven's Judges fell to the ground. Not nearly enough to make a significant dent. "Aim carefully!" Kawaji warned.

"This is worthless," Sano muttered. "Kawaji, get your men off that bridge!" He yelled. "If you don't, it's going to be in that river in less than five minutes, and I don't think your men are going to be able to pull themselves out of that current!" Assessing the situation, Kawaji turned again to his men.

"All units! Move from the bridge as quickly as possible and fire at will!" He ordered, waving at the opposite shore. The men obeyed quickly, shoving each other forward in their eagerness to get off what would otherwise be their coffin. Satisfied, Sano went to meet the Heaven's Judge head on.

The cry of Tenchuu was resounding throughout the air. Sano's fist slid into a man's mouth in the middle of his cry. He kept going until he reached the back of the line and glanced behind to see his handiwork. More than twenty down, it was a start. He looked up sharply at a cry from the river.

"Tasukete! The bridge is falling!" Half of the soldiers were still standing on the bridge, trapped on both sides now by clusters of Heaven's Judges with ready swords.

"Kuso!" Sano sprinted over, knowing he wouldn't make it as he saw the flash of several katana. The bridge slumped into the swiftly moving river just as he got there. Sano planted a foot into one of the Heaven's Judges at the back and used his body to sweep another into the river. "Oi, hold on to the lines!" Sano shouted down at the Meiji soldiers. Several of them lost their grip as he spoke, screaming as they were rushed away by the icy current.

Sano felt several shots whiz by him, stopping the enemy who had been about to attack him in his tracks. "Kawaji, get your men out of that river before they freeze!" Sano said as he turned to face the rest of the Heaven's Judges.

"Unit one!" Kawaji shouted across the river to the men now marooned on the West side. "Just fight, we'll try and get there as soon as possible! Unit three, go help your comrades!" The remaining three units that hadn't crossed the bridge were instructed to continue fighting.

It was a race against time now, Sano thought. If they didn't subdue the Heaven's Judges on this side, the larger force on the West side would quickly overpower the one unit that had gotten over the bridge. That would leave them free to join their compatriots at the governor's. Sano's lips tightened determinedly. He wasn't letting one Heaven's Judge get past him to give Kenshin any extra trouble. It was time to up the stakes.

"Tench-!" The zealous cry was cut short as Sano kicked the person behind him, sending him into the river. He looked at his bandaged right hand. Megumi wouldn't be happy, and he wouldn't feel good afterwards, but the only way they could make this into a victory was if someone brought in a hell of a lot more power.

It began to snow lightly, and several small snowflakes drifted softly onto Sano's bandages, melting almost as soon as they landed. Smiling fiercely, Sano lifted his right hand into the sky and with a cry slammed his hand towards the next group of men rushing at him.

"Futae no kiwami!"

000

The docks were devoid of any noise save the water lapping at the hulls of the ships and the occasional cry of a gull. All eyes were fixed on the Ryuu, the ship that Yamamoto was supposed to be using. It was still cloaked in darkness. No one had been seen moving aboard it since the Oniwabanshuu had arrived. In fact, it didn't look like anyone was on the ship at all. The cannons were pointing outwards in the same place they had been three days earlier, covered by a tarp and lining the ship's deck.

Sitting behind a packing crate, Misao waited impatiently, rapping her fingers on the rough wood that lined the piers. She had suggested to Aoshi that he just dispose of the cannons but he had said that would obviously ruin what was supposed to be a surprise attack. The cannons had already been primed when he had disabled them, so the Heaven's Judges wouldn't notice the wall of tar he had put in at the cannon's nose. They would have noticed if all their cannons were gone. Still, Misao had wished Aoshi had listened to her. It would make things a lot easier.

Staring with forced patience at the blackened ship now, she was almost glad the cannons were still there. At least it would give them something to do. Maybe Saitou had messed up and there really wasn't anything happening at the docks. Maybe the Ryuu was just an import ship from Germany or the Netherlands. She rapped her fingers harder and gave a strangled sigh.

"Misao." Aoshi's voice came from several meters away. Misao was alert immediately.

"Is there something?" She whispered, squinting into the darkness. The moonless night was going to make things more difficult. A light flared from the ship, and Misao could see movement then. Several more lights appeared from different parts of the ship, and then ghostly shapes outlined by the lit lanterns began crawling up the masts. "A signal," Misao whispered, rising halfway. They must have been waiting to make sure they weren't going to be attacked.

"Wait," Aoshi said. "There will be more." He was right. Within five minutes thirty-odd men came from different directions at staggered intervals. Misao was twitching with anticipation. Omasu and Okon were waiting as well, in the Ryuu's hold.

Aoshi waited until the last men had stepped onto the docks–carefully blocking the entrance by placing a handmade self-activated bomb behind him–before he slipped out from behind his crate, neatly cutting the cautious man in two.

The sound of kodachi slicing through bone was enough to alert everyone of what was happening. "Take your places, your places!" A cry came from the ship. Omasu and Okon must have taken action. The lights were suddenly extinguished and Misao could hear the sound of frantic men running towards the ship. Aoshi cut one of the stragglers down and he gave a gurgled cry.

Misao got ready to leap from behind her crate, kunai ready. She sucked a breath in as she saw one of the Heaven's Judges rushing at Aoshi from behind. "Aoshi-sama!" Misao jumped across the crate and raced his way, tossing a handful of kunai at the attacker. "Turn around!" Misao shouted. She could hardly hear herself over the shouts and sounds of fighting from all around.

She slowed with relief when Aoshi thrust his kodachi behind him just as the Heaven's Judge soldier was about to strike. The man ran straight into the kodachi, his own katana falling as his hands opened with shock. There were angry cries coming from the ship. Misao grinned. Aoshi hadn't even used his second kodachi yet. This was going to be easy.

She saw Aoshi's face change suddenly. He was looking at her with an alarmed expression, mouth moving. "Huh?" Misao shouted, unable to hear what he was saying. She was unprepared for the blast that threw her off her feet. Somehow, one of the cannons had fired correctly.

A cloud of dust and wood splinters exploded in front of Misao and she went flying backwards, crashing against the crate she had just hopped over. "I–itaiiii . . ." Misao groaned, pushing herself upright shakily. She bit back a cry as her left arm throbbed. Not good. Several slivers of wood had pierced through her clothing and lodged in her arms and chest. She pulled them out with a grimace.

"Misao!" She had to wait a minute for her eyes to focus on Aoshi. By the time they did, he was standing over her, hand extended.

"I'm good," Misao forced herself to say, although her arm really hurt. "Go on, Omasu and Okon need you." Aoshi nodded and sprinted back towards the ship, where the Heaven's Judges he hadn't killed had boarded. Misao sat on the ground dizzily for what seemed like forever but had to be only a few minutes before she forced herself to stand. There were too many people on the Ryuu for Aoshi to handle alone. As an Oniwabanshuu, she would fight by her okashira until the death. Holding two sets of kunai in her right hand, Misao ran towards the ship just as the first snowflakes of winter began to fall.

busu - ugly

ganbare yo - good luck (literally, do your best)

genki - cheer up

kiyotsukete ne - be careful

minna - everyone, everybody

okashira - boss

shireikan - commander

tasukute - help!

tenchuu - divine retribution

yare yare - vocal exasperation

More fighting to come . . . Xzig-zagx and skenshingumi, thanks for the reviews! (hopefully the OOC-ness has been lessened in this chapter). I'm glad to see I've managed to keep at least two readers with my deathly slow updating. Oh, and a final author's note . . . yes, I know Katsura gave up his sword because he ruined Kenshin's life but I wanted him to be part of my "task force" so once again artistic license jumped into the picture. Sorry if this is unacceptable to any only-by-the-book fans.