Chapter Seven
The feelings of the group before him were those of relief, confusion, and anger. The one man they thought they'd lost at Mount Hiei was still alive, and had turned out to have met Hiko on his way into the city just days before!
"You...If you've been alive this whole time, why were you hiding from us?" Sanosuke asked, his relieved anger adding an edge to his young voice.
"You were already in battle. This is convenient...but not knowing the details is a bit annoying." Saito muttered.
"Were you pretending to be dead, looking for a chance to kill Kenshin?.!" Sanosuke again asked.
"Explain." Saito demanded, getting a bristling growl from Sanosuke as an answer.
"Feh. Quit your nagging. Did you want me to be dead that much?" Saito in turn asked, coldly.
"...We felt bad. You should have told us right away that you were still alive." Sanosuke stated, remembering only too well the last time he had seen the cop, before the Inferno Room had come down.
"Quit nagging and explain." Saito demanded; secretly enjoying baiting Sanosuke into almost a rage.
"I'll explain what led to this, and the current situation. But in return...please help Ken-san." Megumi said, as she boldly approached the cop (elbowing Sanosuke while she was at it, for good measure).
"I decline. The only time I wield my sword is for my own justice. Now, explain things quickly." Saito growled, as Megumi reluctantly complied, and began telling him all she knew.
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Hiko flinched when he felt a hand tentatively touch one of the wounds on his back, and turned to find Kaoru giving him a concerned look.
"These are bleeding pretty heavily, Hiko-san. We need to try and get it to stop." Kaoru said; knowing that this only further added to his list of injuries that needed more medical attention.
"So that is the Wolf of Mibu that you kept comparing me to...Can't say that I'm exactly flattered, Kamiya." Hiko muttered, dryly, as he sat down on one of the larger pieces of rubble, and waited for her to get some bandages.
"And yet, Shishou, even you would have a difficult time against him, if you fought him." Kenshin stated, as he stood before the Thirteenth master with a knowing look in his eyes.
"If you say so." Hiko replied; inwardly reminding himself not to shrug, since the action would pull on old and new injuries alike. As silence fell between them, Kenshin could only wonder what else Enishi had in store for them. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that his master was worn out by the fighting, yet was still determined to protect those within the dojo with what remained of his strength...A fact that even now was glaring at the newest arrival in Enishi's Jinchuu.
"Now, Battousai...Pick up your sword! Or will the woman face me, since the other man is too wounded to fight?" the creature asked, as Kaoru returned with some bandages, and turned a wary gaze onto him.
"Things are becoming clearer...but there still is one thing not yet understood. Why did you, from a gold-mining clan, throw yourself into a life of battle with the Yami-nobu?" Kenshin asked, sensing when old rage burned within the man above them.
"When circumstances change, situations change also...The gold mines of Japan...once called the 'Golden Country' Zipangu, were mined so hard towards the end of the Edo period that hardly any gold came out of them anymore. A gold-mining clan cannot survive without gold. We needed to find a different way to live. The Yatsume Clan depended on body shaping. On me. This body has great potential for battle. If I could prove this to the Tokugawa Shogunate...But I was defeated by you. The Tokugawa were defeated by the Ishin Shishi. And now the Yatsume Clan is like a candle left out in the wind. Risking death from starvation and exposure, they are gambling on the slimmest chance; searching for gold veins in the undeveloped lands of Hokkaido. Now, my story-telling is over! Pick up your sword, Battousai!" Yatsume howled, as he brandished his claws at the trio.
"...This man isn't simply obsessed by his clan's laws...He's turned his clan's misfortunes into a grudge against the Ishin Shishi...and now he's focusing his rage on Kenshin." Kaoru thought, jumping slightly when Saito's voice broke through the tension surrounding them.
"If you plan to fight but not kill, stand back." Saito said, as he approached and stood before the creature .
"That was your voice..." Kenshin murmured, remembering what had happened before.
"You don't seem too surprised." Saito replied, with a slight snicker.
"It is common for those believed to have died in war to be alive." Kenshin said.
"True." Saito agreed, for the first and only time.
"But why are you here?" Kenshin asked, as a minute trace of confusion appeared in his eyes.
"I was searching for the insurgent who'd sold Shishio the ironclad Rengoku...and, as a follow-up investigation on the incident, I was led to that man in the sky. While Japan is starting to stabilize after the Shishio Incident, building up strength to stand up against foreign countries, it is bad news to have a gateway in Shanghai, the closest foreign port, for weapons and such to flow freely in and out. The 'existence' of that man up there, is a threat to Japan." Saito explained.
"You plan to take him down, then?" Hiko asked, as Kaoru busily treated the ugly gashes in his back as best she could.
"Taking him down...arresting him...or exiling him...We'll have to drag him to the ground, first. He's going to come down once everyone is defeated, correct? Then that freak is all that remains." Saito answered, then continued, "This coincidence is a favorable one. I don't want your stalling to wreck it for me."
"Who are you?" Yatsume asked, now joining the conversation.
"I don't deserve to be spoken to like that...by some freak." Saito confidently said, as he sneered up at Yatsume.
"Saito!" Kenshin warned, when he saw that the cop was walking towards the creature.
"A human being realizes when 'the time to leave' comes because of their intelligence. Even beasts sense it with their instinct. But, someone who blames his defeat on the victorious, losing sight of his moment to leave, is even lower than that. You are a freak, inferior to even a beast. Battousai, I am going to borrow five minutes...No, won't even need five minutes. Three minutes is more than enough." Saito said, with certainty.
"I HAVE KILLED EVERYONE WHO DARED TO CALL ME A FREAK!!" Yatsume raged, sharpened teeth shining dangerously as he bared them at the cop, "Me! Yatsume! No one is allowed to call us freaks! Watch the power of Yatsume's 'Body Shaping'!" With one leap, Yatsume was airborne; his clawed hand rending the ground as he descended. When the dust settled, Saito was standing beside what almost looked like a trench!
"Even after all he's said, he's still going to help Ken-san." Megumi said, as a slight sigh of relief escaped from between her lips.
"Maybe he just wants to brawl a bit." Sanosuke said, as he put his hands in his pockets and watched.
"That's a huge possibility." Megumi agreed, as deadpan expression crossed her features.
"Whatever the reason, Kenshin will be able to fight Enishi one-on-one without losing any more strength." Sanosuke thought, watching as Hiko and Kaoru returned to where they were standing, putting a little more distance between them and the fight that was starting.
"Getting a little too intense over there?" Sanosuke asked.
"I'd rather have my grave dug by a human...not something that looks like it should belong in a horror story." Hiko muttered, sourly; tossing his mantle back down on the ground, and then turning again to watch the fight.
"Feel my power! I'm no freak! I am above human beings!" Yatsume crowed, as he gave Saito a hideous grin.
"Those fangs...are they also from body shaping?" Saito asked.
"Yes. I gradually sharpened them from a young age, cementing them with bone powder." Yatsume replied.
"And that tongue?" Saito again questioned, with some distaste.
"This is my own." Yatsume answered.
"I see. A freak through and through." Saito taunted, his smirk returning when he saw the rage emerge anew in his opponent's eyes.
"I'LL KILL YOU!!" Yatsume snarled, as spittle flew from his mouth.
"You? Kill me? You uneducated fool!" Saito sneered, as he finally drew his sword; his smirk never fading even once as Yatsume seethed before him.
"I'LL KILL YOU!!" Yatsume roared, his fury blinding him to the fact that Saito was pulling his left arm, which held his sword in a firm grip, back, and thrusting his right hand out alongside the blade. The unusual stance alone was enough to make Hiko pay closer attention.
"Shishou, you're about to see why sessha had said that even you would have found Saito to be a challenge." Kenshin said, as they watched the two pause.
"How ironic. Left against left..." Sanosuke murmured, when he'd noticed why the seeming stalemate was occurring.
"So? Who has the advantage?" Megumi asked, from beside the still-unconscious Yahiko.
"I dunno." Sanosuke replied, simply.
"If you don't give me a good answer, I won't treat your right hand." Megumi threatened.
"Looking at the length of his arm, that spider man has the advantage. But Gatotsu's momentum equals that of the Kuzu Ryu Sen." Sanosuke said, intelligently.
"And?" Megumi pressed, anxious for more answers.
"Fifty-fifty." Sanosuke irritably responded; becoming a bit impatient with her prodding.
"You're useless." Megumi snapped.
"Shut up. But...I can't see him losing against anyone but Kenshin." Sanosuke thoughtfully said.
"Let's just hope that your assumption is correct, Sagara." Hiko stated, then silently added, "We can only hope that this Wolf can stop this spider."
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"I'll kill you!" Yatsume growled, teeth gnashing as he gritted those words out.
"I'm sick of hearing that. Hurry up and strike, or I'll come for you." Saito warned, ominously.
"I'LL KILL YOU!!" Yatsume again roared, and the battle began in earnest. With a burst of speed, Saito launched his Gatotsu at him; a move that was almost instantly blocked by Yatsume digging his left hand into the earth, and ripping it up into the air between them, substantially slowing the momentum of the thrust. Then they passed one another, exchanging blows as they went. Yet, when they stopped, Yatsume only grinned as a gash suddenly opened in Saito's right side; blood spraying freely from it when it did.
"Saito's Gatotsu was pushed back..." Kaoru murmured, subdued that even the formidable Wolf of Mibu was now injured as well.
"The dirt he threw with his left arm just slightly slowed the Gatotsu's momentum." Kenshin said, calmly.
"But even that slight amount...was enough to affect the outcome of that strike." Kaoru added, as some worry emerged for Saito as well. Even though he wasn't a friend, by any stretch of the imagination, he was still their ally.
"Earthen Fortress! A gold-mining clan is always protected by the earth! It is impossible for any strike to maintain it's full strength when it comes against this wall of earth and the blow of my left arm!" Yatsume crowed; pleased with having shed some of the cop's blood, and thirsty for more, "As long as I have this left arm, formed by 'body-shaping', the earth and the shadows are within my grasp!"
"It's been fifteen years since I left the clan to chase Battousai. Now is my moment of fulfillment! I will make you greatly regret so rudely poking your nose into my business." Yatsume hissed, when he'd turned his attention to Kenshin again; making the mistake of taking his eyes off of Saito for the first time.
"Even though you're merely a freak...you still need to have limits to your stupidity. You fool." Saito growled, as he prepared to launch another Gatotsu.
"You dare still call me a freak?.!" Yatsume yowled, in response, whipping around to bare his fangs at Saito again.
"Hmm...You react to 'freak' but not 'fool'. Perhaps you're self-conscious about actually being one?" Saito asked, calmly; not even a hint of pain emerging in his voice as he spoke.
"I'M REALLY GOING TO KILL YOU NOW!!!" Yatsume bellowed.
"I told you, I'm tired of hearing that." Saito irritably said, then demanded, "Let's go." Within seconds, Saito launched his second Gatotsu at the ugly Yatsume.
"You still plan to use that move?.! The result will be the same, no matter how many times you try it! This 'Earthen Fortress' will not be breached!" Yatsume howled, as he threw another wall of earth between him and Saito; jerking when the cop actually growled with effort, and drove his sword into the one undefended part of the 'fortress' wall.
"Gatotsu on the tip of his left arm!" Megumi yelped, not believing what she was seeing.
"The one place that is unprotected by the wall!" Kaoru shouted, while the men watched the fight in tense silence.
"Hah! So what?" Yatsume sneered, as he gripped the tip of Saito's katana in his steel-clawed fingers.
"You are quite resourceful, to identify this target after a single exchange...But, unfortunately for you, my left arm moves faster and more precisely than a machine." Yatsume hissed; pleased that he'd stopped the Wolf's thrust, yet again. This got a sigh from the cop, and then his eyes hardened.
"You're the unfortunate one. My plan has only just begun." Saito growled, then drove the sword all the way through Yatsume's defenses!
"Gatotsu Zero-shiki!" Saito snarled, under his breath, as the katana shattered Yatsume's claws, and went right through the palm of his hand; coming out through the elbow. The end result was Yatsume flying across the yard with blood gushing from his badly broken arm.
"Damn..." Hiko muttered, unable to say much else about it, as Yatsume's screams rose into the night air.
"What a move. It missed against Shishio, so I had no idea it was so powerful..." Sanosuke added, as Megumi turned a little green at the sight.
"Stop crying so loud. How pathetic. Be thankful your shoulder didn't fly off." Saito muttered, disgustedly (this statement getting some interesting reactions from both Sanosuke and Megumi as a result).
"I have no need to use full strength against a freak." Saito continued, as he started to approach the fallen monster, in order to retrieve his sword.
"The victor is clear..." Kenshin murmured, yet even he could not believe what he saw happen next. Grasping the hilt of the sword in his own right hand, Yatsume actually pushed the sword all the way into his arm!
"He pushed the sword in to act as a splint!" Megumi gasped; looking positively nauseous now, as compared to before.
"You might want to turn around, Kitsune-onna, if it bothers you so much." Hiko suggested, wryly; smirking at her discomfiture.
"Shut up!" Megumi snapped; continuing to watch, even as her stomach roiled in protest.
"You plan to continue?" Saito asked, as he watched Yatsume recollect his wits and get some control over the pain.
"Of course! I have lived these past fifteen years to kill Battousai! I would rather die than head back without fighting him!" Yatsume retorted, stubbornly.
"Then hurry up and die." Saito growled, not even reacting when Yatsume bounded away, shouting 'Shut up!' as he went.
"My, my." Saito muttered, as his opponent leapt into the attic of the dojo.
"I would offer my sword to borrow, but I would probably not get it back afterwards." Hiko said, as the Wolf of Mibu gave him a slight smirk for that.
"It isn't a sakabatou, is it?" Saito responded.
"Nihontou shirasaya." Hiko stated.
"Feh, you'd be right, then. Good swords like that are damn hard to come by, these days." Saito grumbled.
"Only Hiko could carry on a conversation with that ahou." Sanosuke muttered; shaking his head in utter amazement at this.
"Unfortunately, Sano, they do share some personality traits." Kenshin mumbled; yet was almost certain that Hiko had heard him, by the way the elder Hiten master gave him an unreadable glance over his shoulder.
"LET'S GO!" Yatsume shouted, as he once again emerged from the dojo's attic, and attacked the wary cop. Yet, the moment his clawed hand met the ground, he surprised all of those watching by actually burrowing his way underground.
"He's going underground!" Megumi cried, shocked by this development.
"Must be hard with that arm..." Sanosuke added, remembering with a wince what had happened just moments before.
"So...what comes after the spider plays the mole?" Saito grumbled, as he irritably lit another cigarette, and inhaled.
"A containment field." Kenshin murmured.
"Good intuition, Battousai." Yatsume's voice sneered, as the ground began exploding upwards from the just-buried mines.
"These mines explode when stepped on...or when I activate them. Just like this." Yatsume said, as even more explosions went off around them, and Saito.
"These are fierce explosions. You can't make a careless move...your legs will be blown off if you make a mistake." Sanosuke said, noticing when Hiko handed his mantle to Kaoru and Megumi to shelter under from the falling debris.
"How's the fear of not knowing where they might explode? And the fear of not being able to move even one step? And the fear of being attacked from underground?" Yatsume's voice cackled, then said, "Watch carefully, Battousai. One more person who got involved in your life is about to die..."
"Kenshin..." Kaoru said, tensely, her worry for Saito re-emerging.
"Unfortunately, sessha does not plan on letting anyone within sight die." Kenshin said, resolutely.
"Do not regret those words." Yatsume's voice hissed, "Here I come. This is your end. I will ignite the bombs all at once! And, simultaneously...Here I come!" With a tremendous explosion, Yatsume emerged from underground and soared high in the air, sneering at the thought of getting above the cop to attack him.
"The landmines were simply a diversion! I'll draw his attention to the ground and finish him from above!" Yatsume thought, wickedly, as gravity began to take hold again.
"And...even higher..." Sanosuke muttered, as an unbelievable sight materialized over Yatsume's head. With unprecedented strength, Saito grabbed Yatsume in a headlock, and forced him down head-first.
"It's so obvious. Fool." Saito said, almost tiredly, before the ground rushed up to greet them. With a sound thud, they landed on the disturbed earth in front of the dojo. Saito was quick to get right to the point.
"Why don't you give this back? This sword is worth too much to let it rust in a freak's blood." Saito muttered, as he roughly removed the sword from Yatsume's arm. This got a screech of agony from Yatsume as he did so, and shudders from Megumi and Kaoru as well.
"Someone who loses sight of the big picture by living in a personal battle does not qualify for my Aku Soku Zan...But, if you'd rather be dead, I'll grant you your wish. Die." Saito snarled, as he prepared to thrust the gore-soaked sword into the unresisting Yatsume's neck...yet was stopped when Kenshin grasped the hilt of it, to stop him.
"Sessha will not let anyone within sight die. As was just stated." Kenshin said, strongly; getting a snort of derision from Saito, even as he lowered the blade.
"How pathetic. To be saved by the target of your revenge." Saito muttered, disgustedly, then added, "It seems you didn't have to give up your nihontou after all."
"Seems that way." Hiko agreed, as he grasped the sheathed sword at his side for added emphasis; looking skyward at the only remaining hot-air balloon.
"Yatsume...if you wish to fight sessha, heal your wounds and come back. This was originally a personal affair between us...a duel will always be accepted. However...if it is possible...travel north to live for your clan. You, who can command the earth at will, would be a great aid to them." Kenshin softly said, his words reaching the soul of the strange warrior.
"Megumi-dono, please tend to his wounds." Kenshin said, when he sensed the rage ebb and die away, and turned to the female doctor.
"Oh...yes." Megumi agreed, as she stepped forward and began to work.
"You are very persuasive, as usual. How do you plan on convincing that sky captain?" Saito asked.
"I guess this finally means that the real deal is coming down, and this mess can finally get straightened out." Hiko stated, not even looking at them as he said that, but keeping his gaze fixed on Enishi...His stance tense, and ready for what could be the last battle of the Jinchuu.
Author's Note!
Finally, the 'main event' is just around the corner! Hope this chapter has been a good read, and there is more action coming up! Stay tuned!
Gemini14