"Katsu," shouted Sano, pushing the door to the school newspaper room open. He stepped inside with Megumi leading Kaoru along behind him. A black haired teen looked up from the computer he was working on. He had narrow eyes, with a smile that gave the impression that he was up to no good. His long black hair hung loosely behind him, a green bandana was the only thing keeping it out of his eyes.

"Hey Sano," he greeted, pushing his chair back from the desk. "Not here to borrow more money are you?"

"Nope, not this time," answered Sano.

"So it's this guys money you keep losing with all your gambling," Megumi commented with distaste.

"Hey, I resent that," retorted Sano. "Me and Katsuiko here, go way back, we were in the Sekihoutai together. He doesn't mind sparing his buddy a few dollars."

"Which you haven't paid me back for yet," added Katsu. Sano gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his head. Katsu sighed wearily. "Anyway, what do you need help with?"

"We need directions," he replied, leaning against Katsu's desk.

Katsu raised an eyebrow with interest. "Where to?"

"The place where Shishio fought Battosai."

Katsu nearly toppled out of his chair. "Are you serious!" he cried, looking at Sano like he'd gone insane. "I told you that was just a rumour I heard."

"No, the rumour was that Battosai was killed. You didn't say anything about them fighting being a rumour," countered Sano.

"Well I meant the fight as well."

"Katsu."

The black haired boy leaned back in his chair, giving a sigh of defeat. "Alright, I give. You were always too good at reading me. You do know how dangerous this is right? From what I could gather, is sounds like the battle took place in the Juppongatanna's territory."

"That's why we want it's exact location. We don't want to be hanging around there for to long."

"Well, there's no way of knowing for sure where," he began, racking his memory for details. "Since the information that Battosai and Shishio fought to begin with, came from the Juppongatanna. We have no way of knowing how much information they changed for their benefit, since at the time they were having that power struggle between Shishio and the old leader Katsura. The only ones who'd know were the fight was, are the ones that were there at the time. Sorry, I can't help you more then that."

"That means we're going to have to scour the entire place for Kenshin," sighed Sano miserably.

"Kenshin?" asked Katsu. "Is that the new friend of yours, you met last week?"

"Yah," answered Sano. "He's gotten into a lot more trouble since then. Now he's got the Juppongatanna's on his back, there's no way I'm going to leave him hanging. He needs our help, he won't last too long against them on his own." Sano cracked his knuckles for emphasis.

"Well if you are, you'd better hurry. The Juppongatanna are quick at tying up loose ends." Kaoru face paled. She looked up at Katsu from where she stood.

"Right, we should go then," Sano turned, heading towards the door with Megumi.

"Wait." The voice startled everyone in the room. Sano turned, looking at Kaoru who'd spoken.

She looked hesitantly at Katsu, debating with herself whether to continue. They weren't going to figure it out by themselves; this was something she could help with. Saito had said Kenshin was going to face Shishio in the same place as last time. That was in the Juppongatanna's territory somewhere. But that wasn't their only clue. She remembered what Kenshin had said once when Sano had pressed him on the weekend, felt like ages ago now. He had told them all he remembered from that fight was fire all around him.

She took a deep breath, expression hardening as the determined flames come back into her eyes. She knew what she wanted to do, like Sano said, she wasn't going to leave Kenshin hanging.

"Have there been any fires in their territory recently?" she asked. "Where a building got burned down."

Katsu brow furled as he thought. "I'm… not sure." He pulled his chair back over to the computer. He quickly typed something in, waiting a moment to let the computer think. His eyes then quickly flickered over the screen taking the information in. "You're right," he paused, glancing up at her. "One of the warehouses burned down about six months ago."

"What's the quickest way to get there?" she asked, ignoring the surprised looks on her friends' faces.

He grabbed a pen scribbling down instructions on a piece of paper before handing it to her. "Be careful."

"Thank you," she acknowledged, excepting the paper. She gave a quick bow before hurrying out with her friends right on her heels.

"Sano," called Katsu before the teen had gotten too far. "Take care of yourselves. That place can get really rough. As for the classes you're going to be missing, I'll keep the teachers off your backs."

"Thanks Katsu, I'll see you later," Sano grinned. With a wave of his hand he was off after Kaoru and Megumi.

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Kenshin stared up at the sky that was just visible between the roofs of the towering warehouses around them. It was sometime past noon but he couldn't tell the exact hour. A thick layer of clouds had covered the sky, casting everything into eerie shadows. The temperature had dropped, much to Kenshin's dislike. He shivered, pulling his light jacket closer around himself.

The air was dead, as though the earth was holding its breath. The sky was a mixture of steely greys and pale blues that shifted, mixing into different shapes. An anxious heaven, he thought to himself.

He pulled his eyes away, glancing over at Misao. She was resting against a wall close by, sipping on a water bottle. He did a quick scan of the area around them, they were close to the sea, in the heart of the Juppongatanna's territory. The thick smell of salt in the air told him that, he didn't want to be here. This place had too many memories, ones that he'd rather just forget. But here he was, in the place he hated so much, he couldn't turn back, no matter what.

He would have to lose Misao before going to where Shishio was waiting. Kenshin eyes shifted back onto the hyper girl, he knew better than to leave her alone here. His only option at the moment was let her decide where they went and pray that she'd decide to leave before they got caught. He had tried to lead her out once already but she was far too clever for the attempt. She knew that he was going after Shishio and had quickly figured out that he was just trying to get rid of her. He'd stopped trying after that, hoping against hope that the little weasel would just decide to leave. So far she'd stubbornly refused to do so. They'd been lucky so far, not running into anyone but the longer they stayed the more likely their luck was going to run out.

"We need to keep moving, that we must," he informed Misao in a low tone as he came up beside her.

She sighed, pushing off the building. "Do we have to?" she whined. "My feet are killing me!"

"We're in Juppongatanna territory, that we are. It's not safe to stay in one place for too long."

"Don't worry about it," laughed Misao, dismissing his warning with a wave of her hand. "The Oniwaban are buddies with them. If we run into any, I'll just tell 'em who I am and that'll keep them off." She gave a huge grin, that for some reason reminded Kenshin of a weasel.

"This one does not wish to run into anyone," he answered with an edge in his voice. His right hand tightened on his coat as he led her away. "If this one is caught who knows what will be done with you." He wasn't trying to scare her, it was just a simple fact. She would be lucky if Shishio just decided to kill her if they were discovered. He had to make sure that didn't happen.

"They're not like that," she tried to convince him but a nervous edge had entered her voice.

"Have you heard of the Sekihoutai?" he asked, not paying her any attention as she skipped along beside him.

"Yah of course," she replied with a huff. "They were a group around before I joined the Oniwaban. I've learned quite a bit about them since that rooster head of a friend of yours was part of it. His older brother was the last leader of the group, after his death they broke up."

"They didn't break up. The Juppongatanna's previous leader… Katsura Kogoro ordered to have them destroyed. Shishio is far worse then anything Katsura did."

"How do you know that about the Sekihoutai?" she asked with surprise. "Wait, you're after the Juppongatanna because they destroyed your group. You want revenge," she cried with triumph. Kenshin shook his head silently. Misao sighed with defeat. "You're a hard person to figure out, Himura." He chuckled softly. She had been trying to pry out of him why he was going after Shishio for a while now with no success. He wouldn't admit it but he was enjoying her company. Her energy, though exuberant, was somewhat refreshing. He stopped suddenly, causing Misao to crash into him. "Hey! What's the big idea-"

He immediately clamped a hand over her mouth. "Quiet," he ordered, eyes narrow slits. "Someone's there."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kaoru peddled her bike like mad, while Megumi sat behind her, clinging for dear life. Sano had acquired a pair of roller blades and neither of the girls were interested in finding out how. Kaoru gasped for air as she sent her bike screeching around a corner. The feeling of urgency had crept back, urging her to make all haste.

She was scared about facing Kenshin again, but she wanted to see him too. They'd left off on a bad note and she didn't want to leave it there. She wanted to tell him something, which she was just starting to figure out herself.

She'd told him, she didn't care about his past and she wanted to prove to him that she still meant it. Those words had touched his heart so deeply and made him smile, for real, just for her. She wouldn't let him get away again.

The warehouses came into sight before them, striking against the steely sky. Everything was dead silent, causing the hair on the back of Kaoru's neck to stand on end. Her heart pounded in her throat as she brought her bike to a slow halt just before the looming maze of empty buildings.

Time was running out.

Megumi was off the seat in an instant, thankful to be on solid ground again. Sano came to a halt beside her, all three gazing up at the grim place before them.

"Do you really think Sir Ken would come here?" Megumi whispered, not daring to raise her voice.

Kaoru nodded her head, placing her bike to one side. "Let's go."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kenshin silently cursed for the second time that day, wishing he had a weapon with him. His eyes flickered around the small alleyway they were in. He could sense a person approaching towards them.

"This way," he whispered, grabbing hold of Misao's wrist. He then began dragging her back the way they'd come. He kept his ears pricked and his senses sharp. He came to a stop as he sensed two more people approaching from ahead.

They were surrounded.

He quickly surveyed were he was, looking for an escape. The passageway only allowed them to move forwards and back, and those two roots had been cut off. He was starting to get frantic when he noticed the tiny side passage that led between two warehouses. He froze, eyes widening when he realized where his feet had been leading him.

"Himura?" she asked softly, worried by his expression. He didn't want to go there, not now. "Himura, they're almost here."

He released her hand, stepping into the small dead-end. He didn't have a choice, it was this way or wait to be captured and that was something he wanted to avoid at all cost. He knelt down beside a window giving it a push with his hand. It didn't budge.

"Not now," he breathed. "Out of all the times, not now." He gave the window a forceful shove but it didn't move.

"Kenshin!" she hissed urgently. In a few minutes the gang members would be on top of them.

"Damn it," he swore. He took a deep breath, clenching his right hand. With a quick swing he slammed his fist into the glass causing it to shatter. He immediately moved to the latch, pulling it free and pushed the window open. He heard pieces of glass crash against the stone floor far below. "Misao," he called, she nodded as he slipped easily through.

He fell gracefully to the floor, landing without a sound. He quickly moved away from the window, glancing up. He couldn't see her. He made to call again but froze, his voice sticking in his throat. He could hear voices coming from above just outside the window and they weren't Misao's.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sano had the lead, holding the small piece of paper with Katsu's instructions on it. Kaoru followed right behind with Megumi at her side. They'd been wandering around the maze of warehouses for a while now, and had so far not run into another living soul.

"Any idea how close we are?" asked Kaoru anxiously.

Sano muttered something under his breath, scratching his head. "I think we're almost there, just two more right turns."

"Right," nodded Kaoru. "Megumi, you might want to stay back and let me and Sano take point in case there's any thugs hanging around."

"Got it," answered Megumi.

"Hey Jou-chan," called Sano, she looked up at him. "Is there anything important that you should tell us before we get there?"

Kaoru bit her lip, she knew what he was fishing for. She could just come out and say it, tell them the truth, that Battosai was Kenshin. But she would never do that, not so much because of the promise but because she remembered what Sano had told her once a while ago.

He had taken the name Zanza after the Sekihoutai had been destroyed in hopes of getting revenge for the death of his brother. He had poured all his hatred for the Juppongatanna into that single name. He didn't know the redhead was the same person. Sano had blamed everything on Battosai and if she told him that was Kenshin…

He hated Battosai but wanted to protect Kenshin. She didn't know how he would react to that.

"No," she answered after a while.

"Then how did you know about the warehouse that burned down?"

"It… was a just a rumour I heard."

"Alright then," his response was quiet, a note of hurt in his voice from the knowledge she had lied to him.

She looked away, slowing her pace to let the distance grow between them. She felt guilty not telling him the truth, but she couldn't. Kenshin asked her to keep that secret and she was going to till this was over. Even if it meant- she bit her lip, even if it meant Sano's friendship? Would she go that far? She didn't know.

Kenshin meant so much to her. That was why she was here, she wanted to see him again. She could see it now, they'd run into him and she would promptly clock the boy over the head, telling him what an idiot he was for leaving. Then the silly redhead would rub the lump that would, no doubt, be growing on his skull, grinning sheepishly at her. He'd probably apologize profusely, as he looked at her with those deep violet eyes of his- those deadly eyes.

The fantasy ended there, a tremor of fear going through Kaoru. She shook her head, desperate to dispel the thought. She wasn't scared of him, she wasn't. But her heart was pounding fearfully, telling her that she was. She wondered, then, if she even had the courage to face him.

Dread crept into her. If she couldn't, then what? If she told him again that she didn't care about his past, it would be a lie. She was terrified, terrified of losing him, terrified of the demon's name that just so happened to be the same small redheaded boy. Why did it have to be this way? Why did Battosai have to be Kenshin? She didn't know what to do anymore. She felt so helpless.

"Kaoru, you all right?" Megumi inquired with concern.

Kaoru snapped immediately out of her thoughts. "I-I'm fine," she tried to assure her friend with a wave her hand. No, she thought, she wasn't fine, her gaze fell to the ground. Her feelings were all mixed up, she just didn't know anymore.

Sano stared at the map as he turned to the right and promptly smacked into a wall. "What the…?"

"Oh great," grumbled Megumi. "Rooster head has gone and gotten us lost, yet again."

"Hey," he snapped. "I resent that."

"Well then where are we?" she retorted.

He looked down at the piece of paper. "Uh, well… I'm not entirely sure."

"Give me that," she snatched the paper away from the protesting rooster. "I should have known better then to trust your sense of direction, it's worse then your 'gambling sense'."

Kaoru gave the smallest of chuckles as she followed Megumi out. Sano grumbled under his breath, spitting his tongue out at the back of Megumi's head, before reluctantly following their lead. Not one of them noticed the boy trailing behind them with an eerie smile.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well, well, look what we've got here," said a deep voice, clearly male.

Kenshin's hands tightened as he stared up at the small window that sat high above him. He had to do something, he glanced around wildly at the room, hoping to find something that he could use to boost himself back up to the window.

He had to help her but he was too short to get back up on his own. His breath caught as he finally realized there was no way he could. He stood there helplessly, his hands empty, staring up at the faint light that fell through the broken glass. He knew that even if he were able to find a way up, he wouldn't be much help without a weapon. His hands tightened into fists, he winced, noticing for the first time the damaged he'd caused to his hand by hitting the glass.

"Who the hell are you?" demanded a second voice, pulling Kenshin's attention back to the window far above him. "How dare you enter the Juppongatanna's territory without permission."

"I'm Misao Machimaki of the Oniwaban," she retorted angrily. "I've come looking for Lord Aoshi."

Kenshin heard snorts of laugher. "Lord Aoshi?" the first one mocked.

"What's so funny?" growled Misao.

"There's only one Lord around here and that's the great Lord Shishio," retorted the second voice. "Come quietly and he might just spare your life."

Kenshin's breath caught, anger starting to bubble up. He had to keep himself calm. He squeezed his hands tightly, ignoring the flare of pain. He had to stay calm, he wouldn't let his temper get the better of him. "Shishio really is here, waiting to face this one," he thought to himself, biting his lower lip. "This is the final match." He found that single thought was strangely reassuring.

"You mean you're twit of a leader actually decided to show his ugly face for once?" chided Misao.

"How dare you say that you foul weasel," snapped the first voice.

"What did you call me?" Misao growled temper rising.

"You heard me weasel."

Kenshin winced at the following crack that sounded, followed immediately by something large hitting the ground. Misao was shouting an enraged battle cry, which resounded through the entire area. There was a yelp of fear, before a whistle screeched, piercing the still air. It was suddenly cut short as what Kenshin guessed to be the other body crashed to the pavement.

The air went still again.

"Misao," Kenshin hissed. Staring up at the small window. He saw her bend over, looking down at him with a goofy grin.

She opened her mouth to speak but was cut short as more whistles sounded close by. She gazed up for a moment then back down at him. "I'll distract them for you," she told him with a confident smile. He was stunned for a moment. "Good luck, with whatever it is you're trying to accomplish."

"Wait," he nearly shouted. He raised a hand up towards the window, trying to stop her but she was already gone. He stood still as a statue, staring at the small light high above him.

"Wait… please listen… just for a moment…"

"Is this how you felt? Saying those words to this one?" he whispered. He turned away, unable to face the memory his words had conjured up. He took a deep breath, trying desperately to steady himself.

He glanced down at his right hand, examining it quickly, making sure there weren't any shards in it. It stung slightly where the glass had scratched him, but no blood had been drawn.

He sighed with relief, he turned his attention back to the hanger he stood in. It was impossible to see anything around him. He closed his eyes, allowing his feet to navigate the old root they knew so well. He reached the far side ascending the stairs to the ground floor. He stopped before the door, reaching for it hesitantly.

He wasn't sure if he could face being here. His hands itched for a weapon, for a sword. He took a deep breath, pushing the thought from his mind. He hated being here, the very air came alive with memories. About who he had been, about everyone he'd known, about one special person.

He shook his head, pulling the door open. He was greeted with a blast of cool sea air as he stepped out onto the pier. He cast his senses out, making sure he was alone.

He gazed out at the turmoil of waves, ocean stretched out limitlessly before him, the smell of salt almost overwhelming his senses.

Seagulls flew over head, calling out with sorrowful cries. His lavender eyes stared transfixed at the moving water, lost in a world of memories. He remembered standing here, in that exact spot, watching, a sea that never looked the same. Sometimes with Tomoe at his side, silently gazing out with him. It felt like years ago now.

"Admiring the view, Mr Himura?" he snapped around, facing the person who'd managed to sneak up behind him. Yumi stood there with an amused smile on her face. "Lord Shishio said that you'd come here first." Kenshin didn't answer, glaring at her with masked anger. This only seemed to entertain her more. "Come,
Lord Shishio is waiting." He didn't move, his right hand fidgeting slightly. "You'll be provided with a weapon, once you've arrived," she informed him. She eyed the hand, knowing exactly what the gesture meant.

He forced his fingers to still but the impulse was still there, watching her with an unmoving face. "This one cannot trust your words, that he can't," he said in a quiet and yet somehow deadly voice.

"Megumi was returned unharmed, in good faith. You've come in her exchange, like it was agreed upon, don't go back on your word Mr Himura."

"This one will see Shishio when he is ready."

Yumi sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Lord Shishio said if you delayed that he would take his anger out on his 'guests'."

Kenshin's expression remained unchanged. "Who are his guests?" his voice was hollow, devoid of any emotion.

Her smile grew, despite his attempt to keep cool, his eyes had betrayed him. There was fear in them, so plainly visible that even she could see it, a tribute to how much he had become a shadow of his former self. "You're friends," she answered with delight. "Zanza, Megumi and…" she paused as she reached into her robes, pulling out a deep blue ribbon, dangling it like a trophy before him, "Kaoru."

Kenshin was stunned for a moment. The mask falling from his face in utter shock. His eyes were locked on the ribbon she held before him. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. That was Kaoru's ribbon she was holding in her grimy hand, he'd recognize it anywhere. Then in an instant something inside him snapped.

"Where is he?" he growled with unbridled anger.

She was startled by his reaction, her grip tightening on the blue cloth. She tried to back away, to escape the intense rage that filled his violet eyes. He grabbed hold of her arm, snatching the ribbon from her grasp. His eyes locked with hers. She could only raise a trembling hand, pointing down the shoreline.

"Go to Tomoe," she whispered. His anger grew, causing her to tremble.

"I should kill you for everything you've said," he hissed.

She paled, eyes going wide. Suddenly her hand was released and he was dashing away at lightening speed, clutching the ribbon close to his chest. Yumi crumpled to the ground, her breath coming in shaking gasps. Her body trembled uncontrollably, cold sweat running down her pale features.

"Kenshin… Himura," she thought shakily, "and he's not even returned to being Battosai yet." She pulled her arms closer, trying to warm her numb body. "Please be careful Lord Shishio, my dear."

-----------------------

Well, here I am again. With a nice long chapter for all you wonderful people, hope you enjoyed it! I have to say this chapter was a horror to correct mostly because of its length. I think it started off something like 7 pages long and somehow managed to bump its way up to 12.

I was experimenting a bit with this chapter. Like with the part where I took you though Kaoru's thought process a bit with the burning warehouse. Since I wasn't sure how many of you guys would remember the line Kenshin said way back in Ch7 Day Dream that Kaoru is referring to. Was this a good idea? I'd really like some opinions on this.

The other thing I'll mention now is I have no clue what Tomoe's character is like, so I'm pretty much going to be guessing. I've only read to date up to volume 19 in the manga so the only line she's said so far is "You truly make blood rain." What happens after that... I don't know entirely, yet. I've scoured my mangas for clues and found some pretty big ones. I'll be writing parts about her later on so I'll warn you guys now that she's probably going to be OOC heh...

And now for the part I love, Big thanks to all my wondrous reviews yay!

Seta: I think the only reason I started hating the last chapter that there seemed to be above average mistakes in it. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Summer Star: (looks at the end of this chapter) Hee… cliffies are sooo much fun. Makes it that reviewers will want to come back and find out what happened. That and its soo much fun torturing people with it. Mwahaaaa!

Stella-neko: I have way too much fun writing characters with inner turmoil helps add more tension to the story I think. I really loved the scenes in the series with Misao and Kenshin and thought I need an ode to it. I know a lot of fanfics do that but I think it fit in quite nicely. (nods head with approval)

MikaylaMae: Misao is one of my favorite characters. Her stubbornness makes her a very interesting character to write.

Reignashii: Of course I'm enjoying this. Evilness is in my nature. Mwahaaaaaa! I am unstoppable! Hope this charter more the length you enjoy. Going to have to keep waiting for Kenshin and Kaoru to meet up I'm afraid. (gives her evilly evil smile)

As a final note, I've got exams coming in less then a month O.O OMG less the a month! (faints) ugh… so I'm not sure when the next update will be. Next chapter is going to be awesome, I guarantee so the wait will be worth it.

Well, till next time!