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The Home of Seijuro Hiko the Thirteenth

A Little Over Three Months Later

Seijuro Hiko's POV

While he'd had reservations about Yoruichi's additions to Xander's training schedule he had to admit that the boy was managing to keep up if only with some mild difficulty.

In the beginning he'd questioned it since it would be cutting into his own instruction time but the cat woman had explained that it would take more than swordsmanship to keep the boy alive in the future. He of course had known this of course since it'd been abundantly clear after the airport rescue that Xander had chosen a path to walk down that did not lead him back to Sunnydale. Understandable since it was likely that there was nothing left for him there but the problem came with the goal that existed at the end of this new path.

Revenge.

Xander desired above all else to exact his revenge upon whoever or whatever had taken his chosen family from him and Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu would be the means by which he obtained it. If this had been a hundred years ago and if Janus had not been involved he would've ended the boy's training immediately. His style of swordsmanship was meant to protect the common man not to go off on a crusade for vengeance against an entity that may well be suicide to attack. He said 'may' because just because this being had relocated Earth and been the trigger for so many changes that didn't mean such power could be freely used. The act might have injured the being whether it was a temporary wound or a permanent one. The act may have been like many rituals or ceremonies that needed to followed exactly and needed a period of time before they could be performed successfully again. It might even have been a one time occurrence with the things necessary for the act gone for good and no available substitutes being anywhere near sufficient.

However if the being COULD recover the same level of strength in time then it would need to be vanquished as soon as possible but that might not be possible. The world was a big place and he wasn't so foolish so as to think that the being called someplace close by its palace or that it would advertise its location far and wide. A single person searching by themselves could devote their entire lives to looking and still never find so much as a trace of their foe. Even if a group got involved in the search that would still take time that might allow the entity to return to full strength.

In the end he concluded that he couldn't stop Xander from seeking revenge but he could do everything he could to prepare the boy and part of that was permitting Yoruichi to get involved. By adding the skills she could teach to Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu the young man would be a formidable fighter whether he had a sword in hand or not. More than that though the difficulty and time required to master both armed and unarmed combat stood a chance of letting Xander cool off and think things through more rationally. Even if it didn't dissolve the boy's desire for revenge it would temper it and increase the odds of careful thought being used in its acquisition.

That would lead to fewer mistakes being made but not guarantee victory.

Nevertheless it was the best he could do as things stood.

In order to master Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu Xander would need to successfully overcome his Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki with his own and this time he would not permit anything but lethal katana to be used. Not just because he desired to die as his master had in the past but also to ensure that the boy had surpassed him thus maximizing the odds of surviving the dangers along the path that lay before him. It would not do for him to finally passing on Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu to its fifteenth master only for that person to perish because of incomplete or half-hearted training. Instead he would push his abilities as a teacher to their limit so that if his apprentice wound up dying it wouldn't be because of any lack of effort on his part.

It would just be because the boy faced an opponent that could not be overcome.

~Though he'd prefer it if they boy retained enough sense to perceive the difference in strength between himself and his opponent.~ He thought as he watched Kirito and the others go about their daily chores, ~Perceive the difference and choose to back down if the gap is too great to be overcome.~

There was no shame in retreating if your opponent was too strong or giving up on your goal if death was a certainty just from making the attempt.

For now though he had a spare hour before Xander recovered enough from Yoruichi's lesson to resume Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu training. While lounging himself was appealing he supposed enough time had passed to see to the observer that'd he'd noticed about three months ago. Yoruichi had noticed the new arrival as well and he was pretty sure she knew where the person was just like he did. Disappointingly Xander he observed only seemed to be experiencing a heightened feeling of 'someone watching him' rather than something more specific. He would not be so mean as to say that the boy's progress in gaining a heightened awareness of his surroundings and of ki was going nowhere fast he did believe that there was something hindering the development process.

He even had his suspicions as to what the hinderance was but he would prefer to come up with a solution before bringing it up.

Getting off of his chair he tucked his katana beneath his belt before heading off into the woods while claiming it was to hunt for dinner. He walked until he was sure that the surrounding forest obscured him from sight before suppressing his presence and ki to the point where he would be invisible to anyone with the ability to sense either. Then with silent movement and a long earned knowledge of the forest surrounding his home he navigated a path that would allow him to come up behind the long time observer.

He would be careful about it of course since he could tell that the person had some skill in concealing herself so such a person might just be smart enough to plant traps around their position.

As it turned out though whoever had been watching them for the past few weeks had done nothing to protect her position meaning either they were overconfident or did not believe that the consequences of being discovered were something to be feared. In all honesty so long as the person had no ill intent towards those who lived with him and explained their intentions he was perfectly content to leave them to their own devices.

If they meant to do harm though he would make it clear that they'd best be on their way if they disliked pain.

When he felt he was close enough he went the extra mile to give away no signs of his approach before the last bit of organic obstruction slid to the side.

There, crouched down on the edge looking towards his home, was a woman clad in clothes that granted freedom of movement while at the same time greatly aided with blending into the surrounding forest. He could also see a yebira arrow quiver on her back with a yumi attached to the same leather as the quiver and a dagger was sheathed at her waist in a manner that'd make it easier to pull. An adequate amount of protection for a spy since anything more suited for direct conflict on the battlefield would only weigh the observer down. It did however emphasize the need to successfully escape if discovered because if the woman before him wound up being surrounded or pinned down the odds would be against her.

~Best not to give her a reason to run.~ He thought intentionally stepping on a branch.

After all if he'd intended her harm he wouldn't give himself away with such a noise and if the woman was any sort of professional she'd quickly come to realize this.

Just like he'd expected the observer immediately whirled around with one hand reaching for the dagger while the other was brought into a defensive position. However when she realized who it was that'd snuck up on her he could tell that fighting him was the last thing on her mind. Given that he hadn't done anything too flashy since her arrival that could only mean that someone had told her who he was or at least that he was dangerous.

"While I personally find voyeurs to be distasteful I'm willing to hear your reasons." He said keeping a casual tone to his voice, "So long as they do not involve harming anyone or my home you will have nothing to worry about."

He saw that the woman was offended by calling her a voyeur but at the same time seemed less than inclined to fight him but also reluctant to voice her intentions. It did not feel as though her reluctance stemmed from what he might do upon learning her reasons but rather because her silence was tied to her sense of duty. Understandable among youkai where both disloyalty and incompetence tended not to end well for the transgressor.

"My reasons are my own but I promise you that you and those you live with have nothing to fear from me." The kitsune woman said with controlled tones.

She did not appear to be lying both by her body language as well as what he could feel of her ki. Combined with the fact that she had done nothing since the day he'd first sensed her lent credibility but he still was wary of her status as an unknown. Who was she? Who did she work for? What goal was she working towards?

He needed to know more.

"May I at least have your name?" He asked hoping to receive something that could be conveyed to sources for more information.

"Yukikaze." The young kitsune woman replied without elaborating any further.

A wise move but she underestimated his ability to gather information.

Even if Japan had changed he was confident that if no one else his youkai sources of information had survived and could still be relied upon if asked to do a little snooping around. With the description he could provide as well as a name he was sure that they could provide him with enough to ascertain motive and goal. Once he had one or both he would decide whether or not the young woman needed to be sent away or could be allowed to linger.

It would all depend on who Yukikaze answered to and the purpose behind sending the kitsune here to observe them.

Outside Tono City in the Iwate Prefecture, Japan

Near the Kappabuchi Waters

"Report my spy." He ordered from his comfortable throne which placed him high above the one he spoke to.

"We have finally been able to track the messengers path my lord." The spy replied eyes never leaving the floor to gaze upon one far his superior, "The measures taken by Lady Subaru and her attendant were great but we persevered."

"Of course you did and you are to be commended for overcoming their efforts at concealment. Neither are unworthy of their positions and both should be treated with respect." He said regally while on the inside he was smiling maliciously at the development, "Continue."

"The attendant appears to be alone and is observing a group of transformed humans." The spy said continuing with his report, "A man of greying hair but battle ready body, his apprentice in swordsmanship still learning the craft, a woman with twilight hair with the air of a kunoichi and three youths of little worth."

"Hmmm…and have you any theory as to why Lady Subaru has sent her most trusted aid to spy on them?" He asked even as his mind came up with theories of his own.

"Once we had appearance and location we met with youkai who lived in the area. Some knew nothing, some knew something but refused to speak and others were susceptible to persuasion." The spy replied sounding certain in his words, "We learned that the man of greying hair is a skilled swordsman that has been living outside of Kyoto for longer than the traditional human lifespan. It is not known at present if the man is youkai or hanyo but it is known that he and the kunoichi woman were able to match a well armed group of human slavers with nothing but bladed weapons."

An intriguing picture but hardly enough to justify Lady Subaru's interest.

Swordsmanship was but a medium through which youkai displayed their true strength and the least of what one of note was capable of.

"It was only when an aged youkai revealed that this man had strong ties with the Demon of Kyoto that matters developed." The spy said making things rise in interest, "As you know the Demon of Kyoto, also known as Battousai the Manslayer, was a master of the sword style Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu and possessing few rivals. If the man is one of these rivals and possesses strong enough youkai blood in his veins then a possibility begins to manifest."

"Oh? And what possibility is that?" He asked though he had an idea himself.

"I believe my lord that Lady Subaru is seeking to gain the loyalty of either the man or his apprentice in preparation for a move against one of the other two youkai powers of Japan." The spy said choosing his words carefully, "Up until now there has been a balance between her and the other two with none of them doing more than maintaining their worthiness with regards to keeping them. However Lady Subaru has come of age and it is not unheard of for youkai nobles upon reaching this point making plans to make both their power and skill known to others of rank."

"And you believe the recruitment of a Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu master would aid her in this?" He asked with doubt evident in his tone.

While he agreed that it was a common practice for lords and ladies who reached adulthood to take action to establish themselves amongst the hierarchy of nobles he doubted some unknown could help much. Just as it was common for young nobles to act to raise their rank it was just as common for wise nobles to seize control of bloodlines with a history of producing powerful warriors. The degree of control varied from light influencing of beliefs to using binding magic to ensure the obedience of all members of the bloodline. Should a new bloodline be discovered efforts would be made by every noble to take it for themselves or eliminate it in order to prevent a rival from claiming it.

Given that this had been going on for centuries the odds of a bloodline of merit escaping the notice of all the nobles was poor.

"Masters of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu have an established history of possessing power, speed and skill with many theorizing that a Tengu master may have played a role in its conception." The spy replied pressing his confidence in his theory, "Even if the man and his apprentice are no threat it is possible Lady Subaru intends to have the sword style taught to her own warriors. If the sword style of Battousai the Manslayer is capable of allowing one to fight many think of what it could do in the hands of Lady Subaru's upper echelon warriors. Think of what could happen if her entire army learned the style."

That…

…had him pause in contemplation.

As one of the three major powers of Japan Lady Subaru's forces were already strong enough that neither of the other two could challenge her on their own and guarantee victory. True if the two other powers joined forces and attacked her as one there would be no doubt as to their victory but that was unlikely to happen. While peace might exist between the three and civil behaviour be displayed when in each other's company none were friendly enough to consider an alliance. Only should a threat emerge that no one member of the triad could defeat on their own would the idea of an alliance be entertained. The recent event that had wiped out so many humans, changed so many youkai and destabilized the land was significant but without a determined cause not actionable at the moment.

If Lady Subaru was attempting to use this volatile period in order to increase her own military strength it could lead to her gaining a position of dominance over the other two.

While his own knowledge of the Hiten Mitsurugi style was not complete he did concede that it allowed its human practitioners to rise head and shoulders above the rest of the rabble. If such teachings were passed on to youkai capable of mastering them and then refining them to even greater heights…

"An intriguing theory but I will require more before I am willing to take action." He said keeping his own thoughts to himself, "Continue to monitor the exchange between the attendant and Lady Subaru but also send spies to check on any prospective warriors not yet sworn to any side. Scouting two potentially useful swordsman is worth minding but Lady Subaru will need more that just that if she is indeed seeking to make a move against the others."

"As you command Lord Shinji." The spy said before seemingly vanishing into thin air.

~A cunning move my beautiful lioness.~ He thought with appreciation for the tactic, ~But should I allow you to succeed I wonder.~

Already his future wife's holdings and strength were worth coveting but should his spy's theory prove true there existed the possibility of them becoming grander still. It was tempting…so very tempting…but he did not rise to his current station by allowing his greed to deprive him of wisdom or cunning. While it was true that allowing Lady Subaru to strengthen her military forces and perhaps challenge her two peers could benefit him it was all dependant on them being wed as was intended by their parents. The chains of tradition, honour and obligation had up until now allowed him confidence that his place by Lady Subaru's side was all but assured. However if certain variables were to be changed then his desired future was no longer a certainty but rather a possibility.

Arranged marriages between suitable members of youkai noble families were done in order to produce an even greater power. In many cases it was taken into consideration how the combining of traits of the bride and the groom might produce a child stronger than either parent alone. Strength determined much amongst youkai after all and so every effort was made from the lowest born to the highest noble to cultivate it using whatever method seemed most effective.

In other cases though worth was determined through wealth, cunning and connections.

This was where he shined the brightest.

As a kappa his combat strength was not something to be admired but what made others loathe to cross him was what he was capable of with the riches gained from his family's status as youkai merchants. Money could accomplish a lot after all from prying secrets from the mouths of some to hiring blades to ensure not a whisper escaped others. Through careful planning and cunning strategy his family had risen high despite not having a warrior of note among them and thus played a key role in his position as the most compatible suitor for Lady Subaru.

However if his future wife succeeded in gaining either the practitioners of Hiten Mitsurugi or the details of the style itself she could well raise her station beyond his reach. Marriages while sometimes arranged between equals more often occurred with one person having clear dominance over the other. A problem occurred however when one half of the proposed pairing became too powerful so as to completely outshine the other half. In such instances the precedent existed where the stronger youkai could move for a dissolving of traditional marriage arrangements that even the elders would support.

After all what point would there be in a marriage between him and Lady Subaru if he became little more than a mouse beside a towering predator. Even the elders would concede this and might nullify the arrangement in favour of finding one more equal to Lady Subaru's new level of military might.

~No. As tempting as it would be to wield such a formidable army it is not worth risking my position as husband to one of the three major powers.~ He thought coming to a decision, ~Better to kill all those in Kyoto that hold Lady Subaru's interest and put an end to the threat.~

Unlike some with grand ambitions he knew to temper his avarice with a few spoonfuls of reality and a pinch of caution. Without any prowess that could aid him in battle personally or an absolute way to protect him from certain consequences he could not afford to make a single mistake that he could not cope with the consequences of.

"Send for Hiroaki." He ordered his attendant off to the right, "Tell him I have a job for him and his group and tell him they shall be amply compensated to accomplish it swiftly."

"Yes Lord Shinji." The attendant said before leaving the room to carry out the orders given.

While Hiroaki and his crew were distasteful there was no denying their ability to render something dead in short order. They were not stealthy assassins or even honourable soldiers but rather a pack of bloodthirsty battle maniacs that took pleasure in combat and enjoyed a challenge. When he told them that their opponent would be a Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu master and his apprentice he was confident that they would be motivated enough to do their best.

And if they wound up killing any rabble close by…well…it didn't really matter to him.

Commoners were easy enough to replace after all.

A Clearing Close to Hiko's Home

One Week Later

Xander's POV

KLANG!

TING! TING!

~Not great…but not bad EITHER!~ He thought as he continued to fight against his opponent.

Still it was clear to him even now that he had no chance of defeating his sparring partner even if he chose to treat this like it was a serious fight rather than a chance to use what he'd learned against a real opponent. He was certain that as far as physical prowess the gap wasn't so large that that would be the reason for his loss but rather it would be experience that would doom him. He might not know how old Hiko was but he suspected that the man was a lot older than he looked and yet had some trait that kept him looking like a soldier five years from being reassigned to a desk. With who knew how many decades of experience to the man's credit he considered it an accomplishment that he was doing as well as he was.

KLANG! TING!

TING!

His movements were not frantic or desperate.

SWSH!

He had moments where he could devise tactics in an effort to make some progress against Hiko.

BAM!

"Do not focus so much on my katana that you forget that there are other ways I can attack you!" Hiko said his voice reaching even with the hard impact against the grass.

He didn't acknowledge the reprimand but rather got back to his feet as swiftly as he could while keeping his sword in a position to either block or counter as best as he was able. He'd already learned the hard way that Hiko wouldn't just stand by and wait for him to get back into a ready position should he be knocked to the ground. While his teacher hadn't gone so far as to deliver any deep cuts or something that he'd need time to recover from Hiko had still done his best to make their sparring matches as close to the real thing as possible.

While he might not be a stranger to fights thanks to his time with the Scoobies his training under Hiko took things to a whole new level.

This was training to fight opponents that had every chance of killing him and wouldn't always have the flaw of an overinflated ego to grant him some breathing room. Vamps might've been physically superior to him and quite capable of killing him but their arrogance as well as their belief in their own innate superiority were cracks in their power he could exploit. It varied from demon to demon, threat to threat, but he'd been able to manage well enough to stay alive and keep injuries to a minimum.

He couldn't count on such sloppiness in the future so he was grateful to Hiko for pushing him so hard in training.

It made him feel as though if he managed to endure it all and meet the man's standards for mastering the sword style he'd be ready for just about anything.

And so he'd press onward no matter how hard the road ahead of him was or what was put in his way.

The spirits of the dead would accept nothing less.

He didn't know how much time passed before Hiko signalled the end of the sparring match but he found himself satisfied regardless. He was tired, dripping with sweat and with more than a few sore spots in need of a hot bath. Still there were fewer 'paper cuts' than the last sparring match and he'd been knocked on his ass less as well.

This he decided could be considered progress.

"Sometimes I amaze even myself with how I can take a lump of rock and turn it into something useful." Hiko said resting the dull side of his katana on his shoulder, "Ten minutes. You managed to fight for ten minutes before it became pointless to continue. That's an improvement of almost a minute and a half over your old time."

Only ten minutes!?

Only ten minutes had passed and already he was this worn out?

~Not good enough.~ He thought as a frown took form on his face, ~Not nearly good enough.~

No one knew how long a real fight would last once it began and if the current him could only count on being a warrior for ten minutes before crumbling the number of foes he could beat were limited. Worse than that he knew that Hiko was far from going all out on him so he wasn't even close to reaching the point where he would be ready to learn the final secrets of the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu style. Impatience surged forth but the same resolve that would see him through this training clamped down on it before shoving it into his mental basement.

Impatience bred carelessness.

Recklessness!

Both were things that could bring his crusade to an end before it even began and that could not be allowed.

Thus with a deep breath he forced himself to become calm and wait for Hiko's next instructions.

"Go back and take a bath." Hiko said sheathing his katana, "Eat some food and rest. Yoruichi will need you in decent shape if she's going to pound anything into that head of yours."

Nodding he sheathed his own katana before beginning the walk back to where his body would be soothed and refuelled so he could take in what his second instructor had in store for him. One good thing about having Yoruichi take up the role a good while after Hiko had was that the thirteenth master of his style had already done much to get him closer to his physical best than he'd been before. He still wasn't all the way there but he was far enough along that she'd been able to start him on hand-to-hand combat training immediately.

Where Hiko was dismissive of his progress Yoruichi preferred act like a cat playing with her favourite toy. The only time that she ever got serious was if he screwed up seriously enough to ruin her playful mood or she wanted to drive a major point home. He got thrown around, kicked around and received enough punches to the face that he'd lost count but the number of times a bucket of water had been used to wake him up after he'd gotten knocked out had gone down.

That was progress right?

As for the magic she could do…wellllll…that was a little more hit or miss when it came to progress. It wasn't that he couldn't do it at all but rather consistency with the results was proving to be the mother of all problems. Whether he tried on his own or she walked him through it step by meticulous step he'd never been able to perform one of her spells multiple times in a row successfully. Recently the cat woman had taken to placing a hand against his back whenever he tried to cast one of her spells to monitor his 'reiryoku' to see if she could discern the problem. Given the descriptions that Hiko had given him about ki and how it was used with Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu he guessed that reiryoku was something similar.

~Hope she figures out where the bug in my system is.~ He thought following the path back to the house, ~Those spells are awesome!~

Yoruichi had only shown him one of her stronger spells while keeping the rest of her demonstrations to spells that were more within his immediate reach. A spell she called Sokatsui looked like a blast of blue lightning and had shattered the tree the cat woman had aimed her palm at. It'd been flashy and so unlike what he'd seen fighting alongside Buffy that he knew if he mastered this magic he would be as deadly at long range as he would be close up. According to his instructor there were a hundred spells to destroy, a hundred spells to offer support and a hundred spells to erect barriers. A tall order but he believed that the more tools, the more weapons, you had at your disposal the better the odds of being ready for anything.

He just needed to get past whatever the blasted bug was that was messing things up!

As he was about to start down the hill feelings crawled into him that he knew were not his own and that could only mean Ruby. Wariness, uncertainty and a mild feeling of protection were the dominant ones but as to the cause he could only guess. The dragon had only ever exhibited such feelings when Shizuku had made her unscheduled visit to recruit Hiko for the rescue mission but it'd faded fast once it was clear that the master swordsman wasn't worried. Picking up the pace a little he figured it'd probably be best if he got back to the house sooner and found out what was going on before Ruby's feelings of protection turned into open hostility. Sure he didn't know who it was but in all the time since he'd first woken up here no one had come looking for a fight and he couldn't think of anything that'd have changed that recently.

Then he felt it, just as he fell into a comfortable jog, a sensation in the air that he'd only experienced whenever Yoruichi used her spells but with notable differences. It was more…primal…in nature and when he saw crimson light flash briefly into existence in the direction of the house his own worry spiked as to what this could mean. With a thought he conveyed a message to Ruby to do what she could to protect Kirito and the others until he got there. Hiko was behind him and even at the old man's fastest it'd take time for him to get back to the house. He didn't know where Yoruichi was but he did know that whenever she wasn't training him she often took off to do her own thing so he couldn't on her being at the trouble spot.

Only Ruby was in a position to render immediate help if Kirito and the others were in danger.

That should be enough to last until he got there right?

Ruby was a dragon and her fire breath was nothing to belittle. When added to the natural toughness of dragon scales and unless someone got real lucky they'd have a hard time dealing with her one way or another.

So why was a pit of dread taking form in his gut?

The Home of Seijuro Hiko

Hiroaki's POV

The fear.

The look of helplessness!

He LOVED seeing it on the faces of those in front of him especially if they'd made a big show of being tough up until he showed them just how weak they really were.

Still this wasn't quite what he'd been hoping for when he took this job since the human kids in front of him were barely mice in his eyes. He'd been told that he would find two users of the infamous Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu style here and that he'd get to kill them but the brats here clearly didn't know a sword from a twig. Still he could tell from the way the girls were looking around desperately that they were expecting someone to come rescue them so there was some value in letting the mice live a little longer. According to the stories Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu masters could sense ki or life energy from quite a ways off so if he just killed the brats there'd be no reason for the man to come here. Sure it might piss the man off enough to come looking for revenge but in his experience any hermit that liked living in a dump like this didn't have very many connections to the rest of the world if any. His target could just as easily leave and he couldn't allow that after he and his boys had come all the way to Kyoto for a good fight.

It was shit working for that entitled kappa Shinji but every once in awhile the asshole threw them a job that actually proved satisfying so he kept his gang's schedule loose in case a new one came their way. Didn't hurt that they could help themselves to some free food and drink whenever they swung around to hear the details of who the fop wanted dead. If this job turned out to be all he hoped it to be he'd be riding the battle buzz for the next month and he hadn't had anything like that in a long while.

Too long.

Still…it'd been a bit and he was getting bored…so almost lazily he fired off a half-assed claw attack filled with only what yoki that could seep into them on their own. It wasn't powerful by half but that hadn't been the point. The point had been to see just how close to the brats he could fire the attack without hitting them. After all if he couldn't kill them then the best he could hope for was to keep the juices flowing by feeding off the fear the brats were giving off.

"Looks like we got ourselves a guard dog boss." Tetsu said looking up and causing the others to do the same.

Raising his gaze he was a bit surprised to see a dragon descending from the sky mouth opening up to reveal some sharp looking teeth. It was a bit of a surprise but he still leapt back and so didn't so much as feel the warmth of the flames that gushed forth. It was certainly odd since as far as he knew dragons in Japan dealt more in the weather and water than fire meaning either this one wasn't local or it was one of a kind. Grinning feral at the possibility of fighting something so unique he watched as it coiled itself protectively around the brats before looking his way with at clear warning in its eyes.

~Guard dog indeed.~ He thought never once losing his grin, ~Let's see if it's got any bite to it.~

Looking to Tetsu he nodded in the dragon's direction with the unspoken command to deal with the beast.

"YEAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Tetsu yelled leaping into the air even he brought his twin kusarigama up to strike.

Predictably the dragon once more opened its mouth to unleash its flame no doubt expecting retreat, defence or death but this was its first mistake. He hadn't chosen Tetsu at random to be the first one to strike but rather because the psycho's weapons had been bathed in the blood of a hundred yuki-onna and therefore had absorbed quite a bit of the power the snow youkai were known to have. As a result ice met fire with the expected consequences of the two forces mostly cancelling each other out but he knew something others didn't.

The dragon would need to stop its attack in order to take a fresh breath but Tetsu wouldn't.

Thus the second the flames relented the kusarigama struck but it was more than a simple weight that slammed into the dragon but rather a chunk of ice five times the size of the original size and weight. To the beast's credit it took the blow well especially with its desire to protect the brats meaning it had to maintain the shape of its coiled body to keep from crushing them. It increased the damage done to the beast and he didn't have a problem with that.

When the weight was pulled back and the ice dispersed for the time being he inspected the dragon and was puzzled as to why where wasn't more visible damage. He could see visible scratch marks on the scales that'd been hit by the attack and the beast was feeling pain from what he could see. In his experience youkai with an affinity for a certain element tended to react poorly when attacked with the opposite element. For a dragon with an obviously strong affinity for fire the ice coated weight of Tetsu's weapon should've crushed the scales and drawn some blood.

~Looks like this isn't going to be a one and done thing.~ He thought looking forward to future surprises, ~Good. It's always nice to start out with an appetizer before moving on to the main course.~

Not that it'd last all that long.

So long as the dragon insisted on protecting the brats it couldn't move from where it was and Tetsu had already proven that he could neutralize the beast's fire breath attack. In he only saw two ways of this ending: either the dragon would abandon the brats in favour of giving itself a chance to win or it'd stay put and it'd all come down to how many blows from Tetsu it'd take to kill it. Personally he hoped the dragon would do the former since it'd make the fight more interesting but if it went the latter way he'd still get a show.

He'd never seen red dragon blood before!

Fire flew and Tetsu went through his attack list making for a clear difference between the two fighters. The dragon was simple and direct either directing its fire breath directly at Tetsu or clumsily attempting to anticipate where Tetsu was going to be in order to create an inferno carpet to land in. Too bad with the amount of trees and stuff around it was all too easy for Tetsu to use his weapons to alter his course with room to spare.

~Looks like this is going to be over sooner than later.~ He thought when one of Tetsu's attacks hit a definite sensitive spot since the dragon let out a pain filled roar before reflexively retaliating.

Now that Tetsu knew where to strike he'd keep pounding it until it stopped being fun.

That'd only happen when the dragon stopped reacting to the hits since beating a corpse was like pounding dirt: you lost interest after the first hit or three.

It was minutes later though, just when he figured Tetsu's attack would finally hit brain, that his nose picked up a new scent coming from behind. Turning to see who it was he didn't expect to see see a bit of katana pommel before it slammed into his head hard enough to daze him a bit. Of course he recovered in seconds but by that time Tetsu was cursing up a storm about something happening to one of his kusarigama. Focusing his attention he discovered that in his moment of inattention the chained weight on one of his crew's weapons had been sliced off at the halfway point. Took only a moment to spot the separated half a dozen or so feet BEHIND the dragon a trail of plowed dirt leading up to it.

It was when he noticed someone standing in front of the dragon though that he put the pieces together as to what must've happened and that made him smile.

"Well it didn't take long for you to come running!" He said certain that this had to be the student of the student-teacher set that Shinji had named primary targets, "Guess you're in a hurry to die. Good for you that me and my crew are all too happy to help you out with that."

Seeing the kid looking all angry and vengeful he knew that attacking the dragon had definitely crossed a line.

Good.

Gave him something to aim for when he wanted the kid to do something stupid.

Xander's POV

~Great! Youkai Hell's Angels with some screws loose!~ He thought even as he worked to keep himself between the enemy and Ruby.

It pissed him off that his dragon had gotten banged up like that and the way these assholes revelled in it only made him madder. Normally this would've been enough to cause him to lash out but both the teachings of his instructors as well as his own minor intellect kept that from happening. Since his…outburst…at the airport both Hiko and Yoruichi had made it clear that they would not tolerate him flipping out and losing control of his emotions. They both pointed out all the ways that doing so could cost him, cost those around him and finally how shameful it was for a warrior to lose themselves to their emotions. When taking into account the numerous moments in numerous forms of fiction of what happened when a character went apeshit angry as well he couldn't deny the mistake he'd made at the airport.

Even if the girl who'd died looked too much like Willow for him to ignore…

…even if the slaver leader had displayed just how evil humans could be…

…letting his rage consume him had placed the other captives along with Shizuku's group in danger.

Aside from letting her emotion pull more and more power forth while assigning it the purpose of obliterating the slaver there had been no control whatsoever. With a power he knew nothing about, had not trained to master, he might very well have destroyed everyone in the area including himself had Hiko and Yoruichi not shown up when they had. Their arrival and Hiko's strong words had dulled his fury somewhat and allowed him to realize the danger he represented allowing him motivation enough to reign in his new power rather than allow it to continue.

Since returning to Hiko's home he'd done what he could to enforce more control on himself, both physically as well as emotionally, in order to further aid in his ascension to warrior mastery.

Control of power, control of body, control of the mind and control of his emotions.

With these things the amount of room his target would have to either escape or defeat him would be minimized.

In the present situation he knew the numbers were against him and if they could hurt Ruby they could definitely hurt him especially since he wasn't in the best of shape. Fight them head on? Not a chance. Running was likewise not an option so all that he had left was to stall for time and hope that his teachers arrived in time to kick some serious ass.

"You bunch of biker rejects got a team name or should I just pencil in 'Poor Man's Hells Angels'?" He asked doing his best to keep tabs on all seven of them.

"I guess it's only right to know the name of the ones that are going to kill you painfully and with quite a bit of blood." The apparent leader of the group said striking a threatening pose with his gauntlet covered fists, "We are the Neo-Shichinintai! I am the leader Hiroaki!"

"Neo-Shichinintai? New Seven Man Band? Really?" He asked with a bit of incredulity in his voice, "When's your next concert?"

"We based our name on a legendary band of mercenaries from the Sengoku Jidai era of Japan who were renowned for their love of battle and blood." Hiroaki replied a slight edge to his words, "So I'd suggest that you show a bit more respect boy. You and your little group have made the wrong enemy. We've been hired to kill everyone in the area and we never fail."

"So you're all badasses who can kill anyone…" he said trying to think up some more chit-chat to buy time, "…and yet you aren't the supreme rulers of all Japan? Why do I think that most of your 'kills' were all pushovers?"

He could see that some of the less disciplined members of the group were not liking how he was putting them down. However it didn't look like they would attack him like a bunch of loose cannons which probably meant that Hiroaki had their respect or was deadly enough that none of his crew dared to act without his approval. Not what he wanted since a pissed off enemy was easier to handle than one that had self-control and could fight with a cool head.

"Is that so? Well then I guess we'll be adding more to the pile then." Hiroaki said with killing intent in his eyes, "A LOT more!"

~Great! I did piss him off but he's gonna channel his anger into killing me!~ He thought with sarcasm even as he braced himself for one helluva fight, ~JOY! Still all I gotta do is hold them off until Hiko and Yoruichi show up! I CAN DO THIS!~

Besides he didn't like the images that came to mind of what would happen if he failed to hold the line.

"Then let's stop with the talking and get to the fighting." He said hoping that he didn't wind up regretting this.

The first to come at him was predictably the one he'd partially disarmed with the two kusarigama imbued with the power of ice. However he didn't think he'd be so convenient that each of the seven person group would only attack him one at a time. These were killers plain and simple so as long as someone died they were happy. If someone died in a straight up fight: good. If someone died because of an underhanded tactic: no problem. HELL! If someone died because they ran through a teammate at the same time they killed their target: sucks to be the teammate but it's still good. At best they'd sit back to see how well he could fight before jumping in to get a piece of the action.

He needed to try and end this fight quick without giving away too much of what he was capable of.

Waiting until the last moment he ducked under the lead attack that was the sole remaining weight at the end of one of the kusarigama but there'd undoubtedly be a follow up attack following it. So he already had his blade in position to block the blades of both Kusarigama when they came seeking his blood. While not as brutal as the weighted end hitting him he could feel the chill imbued in the weapons creeping towards him like a special effect of seeing water freeze over in seconds rather than longer. With a quick slant of his katana and a sudden push he managed to break the blade lock before the chill could become dangerous before executing a slash that he wanted to cut at least one hand off at the wrist.

It didn't work but he did manage to get within a foot of doing it and if he'd been quicker he might've succeeded or at least forced a hasty block.

Pressing his advantage at the enemy's retreat he pushed forward and began to attack each of the spots Hiko had taught him a swordsman always went for. From slashes to thrusts he want after them while making sure he wasn't burning through his stamina too quickly. It wouldn't do for him to succeed in killing this guy only to be out of fuel when the others came after him. When a brief lull opened in the fight he tried to figure out just how well or how poorly he was doing.

On the plus side it didn't look like the guy was dancing around his attacks like they were nothing but he couldn't see signs of the guy being pressured either. More like the killer for hire was sparring with a junior at the same dojo rather than a fight to the death. He could feel the spirit of the serpent in his blade asking to be unleashed against the kusarigama wielder but he denied it. As much as he thought it might have a desirable effect he wanted to keep magic or energy attacks hidden until he fought Hiroaki. As the boss of this group of seven and probably the most dangerous he needed as many aces up his sleeve as he could keep from using if he wanted to stay breathing.

The only option he had was to try and employ some of the named techniques of the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu in the hopes of bridging the gap between him and his foes. They were moves that made one seem superhuman and while Hiko had never once told him he'd gotten one of the moves right when he'd tried to copy them if he bought enough time then it'd be worth it.

~Against a duel wielder I need something that'll overwhelm his defences and let me land a hit.~ He thought going over what he knew, Guess I'll go with that one.

Once he reached the edge of his foe's effective striking range he acted.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Ryusosen!" He declared before diving into a barrage of attacks at the absolute height of his speed and going for one target spot after another.

Ryusosen.

Essentially it was a massive flurry of strikes delivered to the opponent. The sheer speed of the slashes made this technique difficult to counter or defend, and Hiko considered it the best to wear down more sturdy and enduring opponents with.

In this case it was his hope that even if he didn't land a strike on the mercenary the successive strikes would lead the kusarigama getting worn down before eventually breaking from the damage.

Once that happened he would strike!

Hopefully.

It all depended on the weapons breaking before he burned up too much stamina.

If he failed to do so he'd need to abandon this idea in order to conserve energy.

In the end his gamble paid off when out of all the times he struck his foe failed to block or evade the next one resulting in a deep cut on the man's right arm. While there was a reaction of pain that disrupted his opponent's movements it didn't last long before a look came over the demon's face of excitement and bloodlust.

"Well…will you look at that." Hiroaki said with mild satisfaction, "…the brat actually has some skill. Good! It'd be a waste if he turned out to be too weak."

"Need help Tetsu?" One of the band, a woman, asked with a bit of mockery in her voice, "Looks like you could use a hand…and an arm!"

This one wielded a naginata but instead of a single smooth sharp edge it was serrated/jagged from one side of the steel to the other like the teeth of a predator. Judging by the stains he could make out on the blade it was well used and used often with nary a visible chip anywhere on the edges or any scratches. Either it was made of a metal that was incredibly sturdy metal or it possessed some sort of mystical quality in order to enhance its durability.

She also struck him as being a special kind of bloodthirsty that rested right on the edge of sanity.

"Fuck you Kikue!" Tetsu snapped at the redheaded youkai woman, "Brat just got lucky!"

"'Lucky'? People who use that excuse are just covering up how weak they are." He said deciding to fan the flames of the killer's temper.

Wounded and angry only upped the odds of Tetsu making a mistake and building on the wound he'd managed to inflict.

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience kid!" Tetsu snarled before a change seemed to rise from him, "Maybe it's time someone hit you with the truth!"

The change soon became more evidence as fur began to grow out of the man's arms and his head began to morph into something decidedly more ermine in shape. By the time all was said and done he was basically looking at a weasel man clad in slightly torn clothes while giving off the aura he usually associated with people who used the dark mojo.

"Hope you're a screamer!" Tetsu said with a more bestial voice.

~Well…this is new.~ He thought not seeing a change like this since Oz got outed as a werewolf.

Maybe he shouldn't have thrown more oil on the fire.

A Short Distance Away

Yoruichi's POV

"Great. A kamaitachi." She said recognizing the breed of youkai the kusarigama wielder turned out to be, "He's going to be a problem."

"Only if Xander continues to hold back." Hiko said with eyes never leaving the scene a little ways away, "A kamaitachi's cutting prowess both with its claws and with the air is impressive but the boy can handle a challenge now."

True.

And the reason why she along with Hiko were just watching was because they wanted to see from the sidelines what they couldn't up close. Normally in a school where swordsmanship or something was taught an instructor would be able to watch their students spar with one another in order to pick out the flaws that needed correcting. However none of the other kids living with Hiko had showed any interest in learning how to swing a sword or anything she had to teach. As such all either of them could do was spar with him themselves and have him go through the motions of a fight in front of them while they called out what the shadow opponent was doing.

It was at the point now that if Xander was to continue growing as a warrior he needed a challenge. Not a big one but rather one just large enough that the boy would need to bring all his training together and use it right in order to come out on top. Both she and Hiko were close enough that the moment it looked like Xander was about to become seriously wounded they'd be able to intervene in a split second. If their measure of their student's progress was right he might come out of this a little more banged up than before but it would be an educational victory for all involved.

A bit more school of hard knocks than she usually went for but you worked with what you had.

Watching as Tetsu attacked she measured a decided increase in speed and ferocity but fortunately her surprise attacks and repeated 'out of nowhere' moves had honed Xander's reflexes along with his agility. As such while definitely upping the pressure on Xander she could not say that he was being overwhelmed just yet. Tetsu by his cackles thought otherwise but fools like that often did when they thought that they had the advantage in power. Hiko's instruction in Hiten-Mitsurugi-Ryu was serving Xander well even if the old man 'tsked' when Xander had executed Ryusosen. One of the benefits of being trained in a sword style that specialized in high speed combat was that it sharpened one's vision and taught you to both act as well as react in the blink of an eye. As such the kamaitachi's movements were not as effective as some might've expected them to be resulting in attacks being blocked or evaded albeit by the smallest of margins.

However counterattacks were few and far in between with either the timing being off or Xander lacking the necessary speed to take advantage of what openings in Tetsu's guard appeared. Still even attacks that are blocked can still rattle the one defending and make them begin to have doubts concerning how sure their victory really was. Doubts could grow if allowed to linger long enough and once big enough could make one hesitate.

Hesitation could get a warrior killed if it happened at the right moment.

Her only real disappointment was that she'd yet to see Xander employ any of her training to defeat Tetsu. Even if she conceded that the situation didn't allow for hand-to-hand combat and Xander wasn't at the point where he could mix it with swordplay he could still employ Hoho. It was the name for all high-speed fighting movements based on the art of Shunpo or as some called it Flash Steps. In her previous life it was a movement technique that allowed a user to move faster than the eye could follow. Both her and Hiko had discussed whether or not Shunpo could enhance the effectiveness of Hiten-Mitsurugi-Ryu but nothing definite could determined. While the energy that made Hiko's style so deadly was similar to what was used to perform Shunpo they were uncertain if Xander had the reserves or the skill to use both at the same time.

It was like trying to sprint while singing at the same time.

Air was needed to do both and without skill to balance the supply between two tasks neither were likely to be very successful.

Nevertheless she'd done what she could to teach him Shunpo and had been getting positive results albeit not quite at the same level one would expect a student from back home. Still given that there were any results at all had been enough for her to keep teaching it to Xander until they reached a wall that they couldn't get past on their own.

~So why isn't he trying to use it?~ She thought as the battle continued, ~He used Ryusosen even though he hasn't mastered it so he's willing to try anything he's gotten a half decent grasp of.~

The best she could figure was that either her student was too busy trying to stay alive to think of it or the kid was intentionally choosing not to use it. She could come up with any one of a number of reasons for this but hoped that Xander wouldn't hold off from using it to the point of stupidity.

Fortunately for all of them stupidity wasn't something restricted to young warriors because in a move that was far too showy for a serious battle Tetsu began a series of movements likely to build up energy for a special attack of some kind. It looked like it was going to be something impressive, something Tōshirō might use, but sadly the kusarigama wielder forgot the golden rule about such things. That rule of course being that if you couldn't fire off a spell before your opponent could kill you don't bother casting it in the first place. Those who had mastered certain spells like her could fortunately skip the incantation and still get them right but most others needed to speak the full incantation. As such it was only common sense for those she once fought alongside to make sure they were far enough away from their opponent to speak the full incantation.

Tetsu clearly had not.

It was then that Xander proved that he had some wisdom in that he knew when to take advantage of an opening and did her proud. With a moment of stillness he smirked and then…as far as others could tell…

…vanished.

Only to reappear behind Tetsu and execute a decent diagonal slash at a speed that she wagered only Hiko and herself could perceive clearly. The consequences of the slash and the sharpness of the blade however became all too clear for even the slowest of warriors when half of Tetsu went in one direction while the other half went in the opposite direction. With a look that spoke of incomprehension on the face Tetsu was most definitely dead…unless he possessed an unheard of regenerative power greater than anyone she'd fought.

When five seconds ticked by and nothing happened she felt fairly certain that the kusarigama wielder was indeed dead.

~Not a bad use of Shunpo.~ She thought after evaluating Xander's winning move, ~He doesn't have the skill or control over his power needed to go from one side of a city to another in one step but a couple of steps is definitely doable.~

"Guess you're gonna have to call yourselves the New Six Man Band now." Xander said prudently orienting himself so that as many of the remaining enemies were in front of him as possible, "Still want to keep this going? I'm all for you just walking away right now."

"I'll admit I didn't see that last move coming brat but don't pat yourself on the back too much." Hiroaki said with a snort before glancing dismissively at the remains of his teammate, "Tetsu was the weakest of us. Honestly I only kept him around to do the jobs too far beneath the rest of us. Plus if he can't kill someone like you he didn't belong with us. Still he did at least one thing right before dying."

"And that'd be?" Xander asked with a frown.

"He let the rest of us get a good look at what you're capable of." Hiroaki replied with a malicious grin, "Especially the fact that you're holding back. Now yo got me all the more interested to see just what else you've got hidden up your sleeve. Kikue? You're up!"

"Hope you're all warmed up bug 'cause I don't do foreplay!" Kikue the serrated naginata wielder declared before heading right for Xander, "I GO RIGHT FOR THE THROAT!"

This nut job proved to be cut from a different cloth than Tetsu but only in that she'd chosen to attack Xander all in from the beginning rather than wait for her foe to do something worthy of being taking seriously. Immediately Xander was put on the back foot as Kikue's speed was matched only by her ferocity making defence all that the boy could manage. There didn't seem to be any real strategy involved in Kikue's attacks but rather any opening that Xander provided her with she went after and even if her strike was blocked she didn't hesitate to go after the new opening that blocking provided. It was good that Xander was managing to keep up but in this sort of situation just keeping up wasn't enough. Indeed her student couldn't count on another surprise attack like the one that killed Tetsu to work after the rest of the New Seven Man Band had seen it.

He would need to use more of whatever he was keeping in reserve just to create an opening he could use to turn the tide in his favour.

Just how stubborn was Xander to keep the techniques he'd learned from her and Hiko up his sleeve?

"Doryūsen!" Xander declared with a hint of desperation before swinging his sword so that it hit the ground with force.

"Idiot! There is a reason why Land Dragon Flash is a ranged technique!" Hiko snapped almost raising his voice.

Indeed this was proven all too clearly when the ground exploded from the spot Xander's katana had struck sending earthen debris into the air. As a ranged attack this would be effective but when you yourself were in range of the flying debris it turned out to be a double edged blade. Both you and your opponent would get hit with the flying debris resulting in mutual injury with only chance deciding the severity of it. In this case Xander it seemed had enough sense to immediately cover up after executing Doryūsen in order to protect his torso and his head.

A good move for preventing loss of consciousness or serious injury but not so good for keeping ones arms in good shape.

Considering how important working arms were for a swordsman any injury to them reduced their ability to fight to one degree to another depending on the severity.

Seeing as how Xander immediately went on the offensive after the last of the debris settled meant either he was tougher than he looked or was just good at faking it. Short yet precise slashes were dealt out aimed at anything that looked like it could be cut on the first try as opposed to having to land repeated hits on the same spot. This proved to be an effective tactic, at least in the short run, as proven by how Kikue's movements were less fluid and more hasty. Coupled with the short duration of each of Xander's attacks and it took the killer for hire a bit of time before things once more became a strained stalemate in Kikue's favour.

"Don't mind getting a little bloody huh?" Kikue asked even as she savagely tried to cut her way through Xander's defence, "Me? I'm hoping you'll get A LOT bloody! Like ALL OVER THE PLACE!"

"Why is it that there's always a bad guy with a fixation on blood and guts?" She asked with mild disgust.

"Look closer Yoruichi." Hiko said in reply his eyes never leaving the battle.

Curious about what the master swordsman meant she increased her focus on the fight at hand with particular emphasis on Kikue.

At first her initial opinion of the woman as being mentally unbalanced, bloodthirsty and quite direct in her preferred fighting style remained unchanged. She'd seen a few fighters like that in the past and it got them far but only until they faced an opponent with enough skill as well as physical prowess to negate the majority of their advantages. While that wasn't the case here with Xander the combined training regime her student had been put through was at least sufficient to keep in place a tentative stalemate.

However it was when she considered how long berserkers and lunatic fighters tended to last before someone cut them down that she began to realize that Hiko might be on to something. While she hadn't exactly kept up to date with the goings on of yokai and the mercenary groups that existed among the race she did know that only a certain type of group survived long past its creation. Since the human race had gained sufficient strength to pose a real threat to the Japanese demons and the yokai had taken on a more concealed lifestyle significant efforts had been made to prevent exposure. Mercenary groups that couldn't or wouldn't abide by the laws of concealment were quickly dealt with by those stronger as well as more skillful than them. In the worst case scenario a strike force comprised of a hundred yokai were sent to eliminate those that threatened the curtain concealing their kind from the human race.

Seeing as there'd been no headlines or breaking stories outing the existence of yokai it was a safe bet that those tasked with keeping things under wraps were good at their jobs regardless of the methods used.

That meant that each and every member of the New Seven Man Band had to possess enough restraint and skill to keep themselves off the chopping block. Having wealthy or influential allies would only cover reckless actions so far before the backer or backers would withdraw their support if only because of how expensive it would have become. A bloodthirsty berserker that was a slave to their appetites would not have escaped elimination and neither would any successful group risk having one as a member.

That could only mean…

"She's faking it." She said finally reaching a conclusion.

"Not entirely. She's just smart enough to know her performance can be used as a weapon against her opponent." Hiko said revealing his own conclusion, "When one sees a mentally deranged person they expect unpredictability, incomprehension and thus are left reacting only to the immediate threat rather than to an overall strategy. When facing an opponent that revels in the carnage and bloodshed of battle one can be made to feel fear leading to hasty actions while also prioritizing defence."

"And with Xander not being experienced enough or skilled enough to see through the act is just dancing to her tune." She said finishing the scenario description, "Should we step in?"

If Kikue truly did have Xander wrapped up in her act it might take more than their student was capable of putting forth to break out of it.

"So little faith." Hiko said as a small smirk formed introducing a crack into his stoicism.

Her mind worked to determine where Hiko's optimism came from and took all she knew of Xander as the variables up for consideration.

It took awhile but eventually she discerned the source of the hope.

And she smirked as well.

Why?

Because she had a feeling Xander knew where his path to victory could be found.

Hiroaki's POV

~Kid's got potential.~ He thought as he saw Kikue begin to slide into her final pattern, ~Too bad he's got to die here but a job is a job and the New Six Man Band always gets things done.~

It rankled him a little that Tetsu had been killed but he hadn't been lying when he'd said that the kamaitachi yokai was the weakest among them. It wouldn't take much to find a replacement and then they could go back to calling themselves the Neo-Shichinintai. Society was full of yokai that chafed at the authority of the daiyokai and loved every aspect of a bloody battle. All he'd need to do would be to sift through the crap to find the one that fill Tetsu's role the best.

Though it might be worthwhile to find one that wouldn't fall for the same move Tetsu had since once word got around everyone looking to take them down the same way.

"You know you're never gonna land a boyfriend with a personality like yours!" The brat remarked with an annoying lopsided grin, "Guess you're doomed to die an old maid with everyone saying 'that poor Kikue-chan! If only she'd acted cuter she might've attracted at least one guy'."

Shit.

It wasn't that he thought Kikue cared one little bit about getting a boyfriend or dying single because in all the time he'd known her the only thing that snagged her attention was interesting prey for her to kill. No…it was the fact that the brat had dared to add 'chan' to Kikue's name and had suggested she act 'cuter' that had lit the fuse in his teammate's soul. Nothing pissed off Kikue more than women who had the whole cutesy act down pat or making it sound like they were superior to the member of the Neo-Shichinintai.

Before the brat had opened his mouth Kikue probably would've settled for just cutting him in half with a single swing of her weapon once she'd finished toying with her prey.

Now?

Now things would be a lot worse for the kid.

~At least all the noise should attract the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu master in so I can actually have some fun of my own.~ He thought looking on the bright side of things.

The boy was decent enough entertainment to get things started but there was no way the brat was interesting enough to make even one exchange of blows worth the effort. However even he'd heard the stories about Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu masters and what they could do on the battlefield and while some of it was pure shit the rest had his blood tingling. A style of swordsmanship that once mastered could elevate the user above all but the elite and that was with a human as a master. It made him wonder what might be possible if a yokai learned the style and that was why he wanted to fight a human master.

With such a taste he'd have enough info to figure out just how far a yokai user would've been able to go.

Too bad there was only ever one master of the style and one apprentice because with both of them being targets it looked like the style was about to become extinct.

Pity.

"Chan, eh? CHAN, EH!" Kikue yelled her temper quickly gaining potency, "Now you've done it! Now you've gone from prey to steak and I like mine WELL DONE!"

With that Kikue's weapon began to change with the blade going from the appearance of a serrated blade and gradually taking on the form of a fire plume of metal. However that was not the end of it because once the blade settled into its new form a black flame sprung into existence from its edges extending out a foot and a half from the metal itself. Like normal fire it burned whatever it touched but unlike normal fire the rate at which it harmed what it touched could be controlled by the wielder of the naginata. Someone Kikue cut with it in this form could be reduced to ashes within seconds or be burned alive until their body simply gave out from the pain alone. He theorized that the variable that decided things for his teammate was how much terror could be produced by her choice either in the victim or any spectators that might be nearby.

Glancing over at the dragon and those it protected she figured that Kikue would likely go for the more painful option in order to traumatize changed humans to the fullest.

He wondered how long the brat would last.

The first five swings of the naginata showed him that the brat had the sense to be afraid of the black fire but with the way that the air affected the fire made judging a safe distance difficult. When the naginata was still the fire extended a full two feet from the edge of the blade but when it was swung that extension was cut in half. The problem with that the naginata could be stopped mid-motion whenever Kikue wanted and with a bit of effort she could hasten the flame's return to its stationary two foot extension by quite a bit.

As the kid was finding out the hard way.

Still he supposed that he should commend the brat for managing to keep the damage to just his clothes for the time being and if it got bad he was quick to shed the burning piece of clothing. As a result he could see more of the boy's physical conditioning and had to admit that for a human the boy had worked hard in his training. Both the lack of fat and the numerous scars he could see made that clear. Perhaps if that kappa hadn't said to kill everyone here and just beat them bloody he might've been able to see what the brat could've become in a dozen or so years.

Oh well.

"Stop dodging!" Kikue growled even as she upped the speed of her attacks to increase the odds of landing a direct hit.

"I'm not a 'pro' like you guys but even I know that's stupid!" The brat said continuing to do everything he could to evade the strikes laced with black flame, "You want to hit me you're going to have to fight harder than this KIKUE-CHAN!"

"STOP CALLING ME CHAN!" Kikue screamed before twirling her naginata around in a manner he knew was a wind up to one of her stronger techniques.

Usually she only used it when their target was one of the higher ranking yokai or a large group of them that they had to deal with quickly. In this case even if the boy once more dodged it was unlikely that he'd escape entirely and a little bit on fire would all too easily turn into a lot once Kikue took advantage of the weakness created by this technique.

It was a good move considering how pissed off Kikue was at the moment.

So why were his instincts telling him it was the exact opposite?

"KURO NO DAI HENDO!" Kikue declared upon finishing her wind up and executed a diagonal slash at the brat.

Like a ravenous beast the black flames surged forth taking on the dimensions one would normally associate with a train as it hurtled towards the boy.

It was all over now.

"You just made your last mistake BITCH!" The boy said looking like he was preparing to slash at the attack with his own katana slash.

A foolish move.

Only it didn't turn out to be because in a single second an eerie energy hissed into existence around the brat's blade and when the slash was executed the energy flew towards the oncoming fire. It was only until just before the two attacks would've hit that the boy's attack changed from a stream of energy into a focused coil that wrapped around the black flames. At first he thought that this was some sort of restraining technique meant to halt the fire's advance or even constrict around it like some sort of serpent causing it to be crushed.

It did neither.

Instead it defied all reason by causing the fire to slow to a halt before reversing course and heading right back towards Kikue. No…even more than that…both the speed at which the flames were travelling and the strength inherent in them looked to have doubled if not a bit more. Was this a wind based attack?!

"KIKUE! DODGE IT!" He yelled easily able to predict what'd happen if the returning attack hit her.

Sadly his order came too late and with a scream of fear filled defiance Kikue was enveloped by her magnified attack that continued on past her position for almost three hundred yards before disappearing. Of his teammate there were no remains that he could see and even her naginata had been reduced to warped black metal fragments.

For a time he waited to see if Kikue had somehow managed to ride the attack until it expired but when he neither heard or saw anything he accepted that six had become five. While Tetsu had been expendable and replaceable Kikue's talent had not been so lacking in value to him. More than that with two of his Band dead he could tell that the others were beginning to look a little uneasy and that was something he could not allow.

His Band were the most bloodthirsty group of killers for hire in all Japan.

If word got out out that a mere slip of a child had managed to kill more than three of them, even the weakest among them, it would damage their reputation and many would question their reliability. It would be akin to a festering wound beneath his skin that would take forever to get rid of even if he found replacements swiftly.

Hungry for blood and battle he may be but he was no lunatic that revelled in all that caused him pain.

"Well I think you've had your fun BOY." He said standing up from the log he'd been watching the fighting from, "I'll admit I didn't think you'd kill one of my crew much less two. Still I think you've just about hit your limit. You're breathing hard, you can barely stand and I'd wager your katana's power took quite a bit out of you. If I let things keep going I imagine you might kill or at least seriously injure another but I won't. I'll deal with you myself."

He smirked as he saw the boy's confidence drop at his words but the fire of defiance still burned within them nonetheless.

Summoning forth his power, his inner spark, he bathed his gauntlets in it choosing to end the brat's life with a single blow that would leave naught but a smoking corpse behind. This would shatter what hope those protected by the dragon might've gained and would serve as a psychological attack upon the master of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu. With a mighty cry of glee he leapt at the boy bringing his right fist back the strength of his power crackling over the gauntlet with ever rising potency. In response to this the boy chose to stand his ground raising his blade to block the attack even though everyone knew that electricity could flow through metal with ease.

Fool.

However sometime between one moment and the next something strange happened.

A shadow appeared on the open ground between him and the brat though it came not from the left or the right or any other direction by foot. No this shadow was born from an object coming from…

…ABOVE!

Throwing his punch not at the boy but at the ground he succeeded in turning belly up in mid-air and it was this that saved him. Even though he did not have the time to gather more power into his gauntlets he was able to bring them up to offer some protection from what descended upon him.

It was nearly not enough.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Ryutsuisen!" A voice declared before something hit his gauntlets.

HARD.

Even with his gauntlets having been made by one of the best crime blacksmiths in Japan he could feel the metal give way before a blade. In a split second he made a decision and shifted the angle of his block to one side.

It saved his life but also cost him a strip of skin but seeing as how it also enabled him to kick his attacker in a way that'd let him get some distance he considered it a fair trade. As soon as he landed he began to channel his power into his good arm so that if his attacker tried to capitalize on the initial strike he'd have something waiting for them. Looking to see who his new foe was he couldn't help but smile even with the pain in his injured arm.

HE was here!

The Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu master!

"I'm afraid my idiot apprentice isn't quite ready for a killer of your caliber just yet." The man wearing a red and white mantle said before flicking his katana to get the blood off of it, "I'll be handling the fighting from here on."

"Fine by me." He said no longer concerned with eliminating the blemish on his group's name.

There'd be plenty of time for that later.

For now it was time for him to test himself against a TRUE warrior!