A/N: Oh, this is the most action-filled chapter, so I apologize in advance if it seems a little bit confusing. I've told the story mostly from Kaoru's point of view thus far…but since she's hiding out in the taxi, it's important to introduce other perspectives. Hope you like it!

Aoshi stepped into the courtyard. His men had been thorough; not a single guard was moving. He was surprised that this many soldiers were here. Most of the compound's inhabitants had already escaped, so these guards must have been brought in from somewhere else. Something told him that Shishio would be involved in this fight; Enishi was just too well prepared. He would have to warn Kenshin. Sprinting towards the main entrance, he paused only for a second to look back at his taxi, hoping Kaoru would be alright.

The hallways were more straightforward than those of the base. He followed the richly carpeted corridors, making sure to kick open every door. He was taken no chances. His men were quickly falling into place behind. Beshimi, Hyotoko, Shikiho and Han'nya would take care of any interlopers that were blocking his path. Strangely enough, Aoshi's path was clear.

Suddenly, he heard gunfire burst through the door in front of him. The door shattered into splinters; forcing Aoshi to protect his face against. Signalling for his men to stop, he cautiously clutched his weapons. He really had to get to Kenshin; the man would not last against both Shishio and Enishi. Approaching slowly, Aoshi tried to focus on the person inside.

An oily voice floated out to greet him. "Shinomori, if you need to get to Himura, you'll have to get through me first. Of course, there's no way I'll let you go without a fight!"

Aoshi stiffened, immediately recognizing the voice. It was Takeda Kanryu, a famous opium dealer. Using his dirty tactics, he made several million yen from selling drugs to the masses. Aoshi had taken him down, but not without a fight. Unfortunately, after his empire collapsed, Kanryu had escaped. It seems like he wanted revenge.

There wasn't much choice now. There was no time to find another exit. Steeling himself, he prepared to step through the doorway. But he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder; it seemed like Han'nya had a plan. The masked man pulled Aoshi away, saying, "It's too dangerous. We'll go instead."

During this time, Beshimi had stepped, readying his poison dart gun. For a moment, everything was silent. And then Beshimi's pained screams rang out through the empty hallway. Han'nya, Hyotoko and Shikiho all rushed him with Aoshi hot on their tail. The three men instinctively blocked their leader and Aoshi reacted without thinking. Kanryu was shot five times through the head, his dying fingers finally letting go off the trigger.

The three men in front of Aoshi had been peppered with bullets. Feeling helpless, Aoshi knelt by his friends. They had automatically protected him from Kanryu's Gaitling gun. There was no way they would survive. Aoshi felt himself growing colder and colder until his mind went blank. He did not know how long he knelt there, grasping his guns so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

x-x-x

Kaoru ran through the hallways, hoping that Aoshi was safe. She didn't know what had spurred her into escaping from the taxi, but the moment Aoshi had disappeared from her sight; she had a feeling that something would go wrong. She sprinted through the hallways, hoping to find someone who could help her. Instead, she came across Soujirou, who was bleeding from the mouth.

Gasping in horror, she tried to support the man as he clutched his stomach. Soujirou vomited blood as he tried to smile at his 'sister'. The pain was growing worse, and Soujirou finally knew why he had been given this mission. Getting inside the building and planting the bombs was the most dangerous job, and it had been assigned to him because he was expendable. He was not a traitor, so he would not have betrayed the Resistance, but he was also too sick to survive any torture they might have used on him. Feeling even sicker, he pushed Kaoru away, pointing in the direction of Enishi's office. He wanted to spend his last moments with his favourite memories.

Tears were flowing down Kaoru's face as she stumbled away from Soujirou. She knew there was nothing anyone could do for him anymore. It was too late for anything. Unable to think clearly, she stumbled through an open doorway. Her breath caught as she sighted the five corpses littering the room. In the middle of the carnage was a familiar man. Aoshi's face was blank as he stared and stared at Han'nya's masked face.

Crying even harder, Kaoru pushed forward until she could reach Aoshi's side. Calling out his name, Kaoru grabbed his shoulders and shook them in an effort to break through his stupor. Fighting down her desperation, Kaoru shook the unresponsive man even harder. Wiping her tears, Kaoru could see that Aoshi was too deeply in shock to do anything. It was up to her to snap him out of it. Feeling strengthened with her new resolve, she lifted her hand and slapped him with all her might.

The crack echoed through the silent room. Aoshi blinked twice and lifted a hand to his stinging face. Looking up to see an ashen faced Kaoru looking straight at him, he tried to comprehend the situation. Everything he wanted to know was in her eyes, staring back at him with firm resolve. Dusting himself off, he got up silently, not sparing the bodies on the floor another glance. Time was of the essence.

Kaoru trailed after Aoshi as he ran through the door behind the huge Gaitling gun. She was almost running as she tried to keep up with Aoshi's fast pace and long legs. She didn't need to ask what had him so rattled, but it was obvious from the bodies on the floor. Aoshi had just lost his family.

x-x-x

Kenshin was sweating; the bullet wound in his leg was starting to bleed heavily. He hadn't expected Shishio to be here. It was lucky that the large man with the fishbone was good with a gun, as Kenshin didn't have any backup. After defeating the Juppongatana, Kenshin had raced in here to find that Shishio had personally come to exact revenge. And now, it looked the fight would be over before he even got to Enishi.

Sano wasn't faring much better. He was actually hiding behind a metal desk with Kenshin, waiting until some part of Shishio was visible through the doorway. That big sissy; he was just hiding behind the doorway, waiting until Sano ran out of ammunition. If that was the way it was going to be, then Sano wouldn't let Shishio go without a fight.

Slowly shifting the desk, Sano moved until he was right beside the doorway. When Shishio's arm appeared to shoot, Sano was able to disarm him with a swift kick to the wrist. The gun skittered across the floor where Kenshin picked it up. Without remorse in his amber eyes, Battousai shot down the leader of the Loyalist movement.

Sano panted heavily, trying to catch his breath. He tried not to think of how close he would have been to dying if Kenshin hadn't killed Shishio. However, Battousai was looking the worse for wear. Full of determination, the man was limping towards the doorway. He knew Enishi was waiting.

Stumbling through the doorway, Kenshin was greeted by the sight of Enishi and Tomoe sitting on a large couch. There were no soldiers in this room; it was just the three of them. Sano had agreed to keep watch outside, sensing that this was something that new friend had to do on his own.

Enishi sneered at the battered man before him. He expected Battousai to be a little more fierce and intimidating. Instead, he was greeted by a short, bleeding man. Kenshin definitely didn't live up to his awe-inspiring reputation. Kenshin pulled out a small revolver, hoping to get the job done quickly. Smirking, Enishi did the same.

Tomoe was frightened beyond her wits. In front of her were the two men she loved, and one of them was going to die here. She regretted it, but she had fallen in love with Kenshin when she had been on a modelling tour. They had spent a few blissful months together, but work had pulled them apart. And now, he was her enemy. To tell the truth, Tomoe had been devastated when Enishi had told her who Kenshin really was. But that hadn't stopped her from loving him. She was caught between her fiancé and his murderer.

To be fair, Enishi hadn't known what Kenshin meant to her. He was just focusing on how she had hurt him during those three weeks she was in a coma. True, Tomoe had loved Akira dearly, but she loved Kenshin just the same. But today, she would have to choose between Enishi and Kenshin.

The two men were ready to begin their match. Each stood with their arms extended, guns at the ready. The one with the faster reflexes would win.

"Ready Battousai?" Enishi's voice was steady; he had been waiting for this moment for years. "I'm going to count to three. May the best man win."

Kenshin nodded, ready for anything.

One

Two

Three

Tomoe didn't hear the gunshots; she was screaming too loudly. Both bullets pierced her at the same time, hitting her in the sides. She was not protecting either man. Instead, she stood between them, looking out the large bay window overlooking the city. She didn't register either man's cry of despair.

She could feel the tears on her face from two sets of eyes. There was no need for crying; both of them were alright. This was the only thing she wanted. Closing her eyes, she waited until she could no longer feel the blood running out from her sides.

x-x-x

Kaoru heard only one gunshot. She had no way of knowing who had survived and who had died. Sano jerked up from his place at the door, surprised by the sound and at the appearance of Kaoru and Aoshi. Without breaking his stride, Aoshi ran right past the tall man. Kaoru grabbed Sano's hand and pulled him into the room with her.

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight she was seeing. Tomoe was lying on the ground, apparently dead. Both Enishi and Kenshin were staring at her corpse with tears running down their faces. Aoshi didn't even pause to consider the situation. He shot Enishi through the heart.

The surprised man keeled backwards, an expression of shock clear on his tearstained face. Kenshin slowly hugged Tomoe for the final time and let her body fall to the floor. Facing Aoshi, the famed Hitokiri Battousai smiled. Kaoru watched in horror as Kenshin lifted the gun to his head.

"I'll leave it in your hands." Kenshin hadn't finished his sentence before he fired; his face collapsing with the force of the bullet. Kaoru buried her face in her hands. This was not the way things were supposed to end.

A/N: Ok, I don't know if that was enough of an ending, but this was the climax. I did use a lot of elements from the original story in this…I hope I got everything right. I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter. I'm considering writing an epilogue…but I'm not sure if I can do it justice. If you do want one, could you please tell me? Just say yes or no!