Elvengirl: Wow, chapter twelve already. This means only five more chapters to the Kyoto arc. I hope you all are as excited as me, because the Kyoto arc is my favorite Kenshin arc of all time...although I think the revenge arc might come a close second.

Sain: Revenge arc?

Elvengirl: It begins in Volume eightteen. The only thing is, I don't have the Revenge arc anime...so I don't know what happens and volume nineteen won't come out for another month.

Sain: Okay then...

Elvengirl: Sorry about that. If anyone wants information regarding the Keshin manga, there are twenty-eight voumes and so, with the release of eighteen, ten volumes left. If anyone wanted to know.

Sain: As if they did.

Lyn: (hits him over the head with a shinai) That wasn't very nice.

Sain: Ow...

Elvengirl: Thank you Lyn. Oh yeah, G-project info, and I'm really sorry if this is bothering you, I'm just obsessed with Gundam, and if you want me to stop, I will. Four of the nineteen mobile suits are designed, and I've moved into the writing stage, so I hope that you'll all be able to read it soon. Now then...

Guy: On with the fic.

Elvengirl: That's my line.

Disclaimer: Kenshin's not mine and neither is Fire Emblem. Oh yeah, this chapter is not filler, as I hate filler, I see this chapter as a way to give Guy/Yahiko some limelight and introduce Florina/Tsubame, so that she doesn't show up in a later arc and everyone's going, "how did she get there?"

Cast:

Tsubame: Florina

Nagoaka: Miguel

"Guy! Guy, where are you?" Lyn wandered around Kamiya Dojo. Up and down hallways. In and out of rooms. Checking the dojo ten more times. Checking the front door fifteen times. Finally she spotted someone behind some bushes.

"I've found...you..." Lyn couldn't have been more wrong. It was Hector, cooking some fish.

"What's the big idea!" he yelled.

"I just thought you were Guy!" Lyn responded.

"Confusing me with that kid?"

"Your hair's the same!"

"What's all that racket?" asked Karel, walking by with a barrel of laundry. Lyn and Hector abrubtly stopped their argument.

"Karel, have you seen Guy?" asked Lyn, following him around back.

"Can't say I have Lyn-dono. He hasn't been around much, now that I think of it," replied Karel, kneeling down and begining the laundry.

"Maybe he found a girl," suggested Hector.

"Yeah right," scoffed Lyn, "He's looking for food. He eats like there's no tommorrow."

"This one thinks it might be swords. He's off furthering his own training somewhere." Karel continued scrubbing.

"Nah," disagreed Lyn and Hector.

"But..."

"I'm telling you, it's food."

"No, it's a girl."

"Food."

"Girl."

"Food."

"Girl."

"I still think its swords."

"IT CAN'T BE!" Karel backed off and went back to the laundry.

"Food? Girls? That's what you talk about when I'm not around? Pathetic," said Guy, wandering past.

"BRAT!" Lyn and Hector both hit Guy on the head, and then walked away, fuming.

"Where have you been, Guy?" asked Karel, wringing out a piece of wet clothing.

"A walk..." replied Guy, after some hesitation.

"Walking away when you should be training, isn't just a walk," Karel smiled.

"Hey, I still make four out of six practices a week," said Guy, turning around and heading for the dojo, "Don't worry about me."

"Hmmm...I wonder," muttered Karel, watching Guy head in. "Seems something's up."

A few days later...

Guy opening the front door and looked around. He sighed with relife at an empty street.

"Good. It doesn't look like anyone's following me. But I better be more careful. Karel's onto me." Guy headed down the street, failing to notice Karel, Lyn, and Hector following him.

"I'm telling you, it's a girl," smiled Hector, smamry-like.

"It's food!" Lyn disagreed hotly.

"Why won't anyone consider swords?" sighed Karel as they walked down the crowded street, keeping a distance from Guy. After a bit, Guy stopped and went into a building. The three looked up.

"Huh? The Akabeko? This is where I always eat," said Hector.

"Ha! Told you it was food!" shouted Lyn in victory.

"Whatever," muttered Hector, following Karel inside. The Akabeko was almost empty and Guy was no where in sight.

"I could've sworn he came in here," said Karel, looking around.

"Lyn-chan!"

"Oh, Rebecca, how are you?" smiled Lyn, "Have you seen Guy?"

"Yes actually...follow me." Rebecca led them around back, where they hid behind a wall.

"Hey kid...get some more charcoal!" yelled the chef from the kitchen.

"Yes sir!" replied Guy, going to follow the order.

"So...he runs errands?" asked Lyn.

"Yes. He just showed up one day, asking for a job on the quiet," replied Rebecca.

"But...why?"

"Maybe that's your answer," stated Hector, smarmier than before. A young girl, also carrying charcoal, fell over due to the weight. She was about Guy's height with lavender hair and blue eyes. She wore a simple blue kimono, tied with a pink ribbon, with a white apron on the front.

"Florina? No, she came to us after Guy did," Rebecca informed Hector, who looked away annoyed.

"Hurry up," said Guy, turning around to help Florina up.

"S-sorry...Guy-chan," Florina replied in a quiet voice.

"And quit apologizing. I hate it when people do that." Guy picked up Florina's bag of chracoal, along with his own, and began to head in.

"Guy-chan?"

"Working the legs and waist is part of a swordsman's training. Just go back in and get back to work."

"Food, girls, and swords. Looks like we were all right," said Hector through a mountain of beef-stew.

"But what is he after?" asked Lyn, trying to figure out why.

"Maybe spending money?" offered Rebecca.

"Then why keep it a secret?" mumbled Karel.

"Or maybe he's trying to supplement the dojo income?"

"Yeah right. Kid ain't that generous," said Hector.

"Look who's talking?" argued Lyn.

"Hey! Can we get our order here?" came an unnessarily loud voice.

"Coming sir..." said Florina, running over to the table, only to gasp in surprise and dissapointment.

"Hey, what's with the long fave? Is that anyway to greet your master?" sneered a man.

"Phew...I"m beat. This is harder than Lyn's training." said Guy, taking a brake behind some boxes, "but I'll do whatever it takes to get it...no matter how much it costs. Eh?" Guy turned, only to see Florina being led away by a gang of thugs.

"So...what's the deal?" asked the man, pulling out a katana.

"Akabeko takes the money home with him," Florina squeked.

"Thought so. You got it? The mould for the house key?"

"We-we shouldn't do this Miguel-sama. It will bring shame to the Nagaoka family..."

"How dare you share your opinions!" Miguel knocked Florina to the ground. "You are of a samurai family. One that served mine for over three hundread years! Since the revolution, there are no samurai, so my family is nothing to yours? What a stupid world. No loyalty! "Equality" crushes the debt of three centuries."

"But...i-isn't there another way?"

"The hard way...I suppose...but that would mean everyone dead."

Florina reached into her kimono. Miguel sneered.

"Are you stupid! Meiji's been around for ten years! Samurai debts are no more!" Guy appeared on the roof of a nearby building. "As a samurai myself, I cannot allow you to do this!"

"Guy-chan!" Florina gasped.

"Not chan!"

"Punk!" yelled the thugs. Karel watched from behind the building. Guy jumped down from the building, landing awkwardly, stunning himself momentarily.

"Are you okay, Guy-chan?" Florina asked, concerned.

"I told you not to call me chan!"

"S-sorry."

"Hey!" Guy turned to face the thugs, "Stop the burglury idea, or it is I, Myojin Guy, who you will face!"

"Shut up!" One of the gang members ran toward Guy with a raised bokuto. Guy blocked with his shinai, then rammed it into the guy's cheast. A second man ran for an attack, only to have Guy's shinai slam him in the face.

"My...my sword beat them...it works..." gasped Guy. He blocked the next attack, and recieved a hit from behind.

"Surround and finish him," ordered Miguel. Guy wound up on the ground, kicked and beaten by Miguel's men. Florina watched in horror. Karel did nothing.

"What's with the silence?" asked Hector, booting Karel in the head.

"Yeah, Guy's in trouble!" stated Lyn, in a slight panic.

"Calm down..." said Karel, recovering from his blows.

"How can I be calm! My first student's in trouble!" Lyn was about to run into the fight.

"Hold it." Karel grabbed Lyn's ponytail. Lyn glared at him. "Guy doesn't know we're here, so how do we explain our sudden appearence? Besides...if we're always helping him...how will he ever improve? This is Guy's fight. We cannot interfere." Karel explained, his voice low.

"Stop...please stop Miguel-sama," Florina begged, "He's got nothing to do with this. I'll...I'll give you what you want."

Miguel snatched the mould from Florina's hand, then signalled his men to go.

"Are you okay?" Florina ran over to Guy.

"Darn...if...if it had..been one-on-one...I..." Guy muttered to himself as he forced himself up.

"Florina, just keep doing what I tell you!" Miguel yelled as he left.

"I'm sorry. I-I got you into this," Florina sobbed slightly.

"It takes a day to make a key out of that mould, so they'll strike tommorrow night." Guy got up slowly.

"Guy-chan...oh..." Florina started to correct herself.

"Whatever. If I can't even beat those guys...I don't even deserve chan. I stuck my nose into this, you had nothing to do with it. Don't worry about it."

'I can't tell the police. She'll be an accomplice. And they aren't even worth Karel's time. This is my battle!'

Next Morning:

"There..done," smiled Guy, stepping back to view the contraption he had just built. It consisted of two bamboo poles lashed on top of a large pole of wood. The bamboo was in another device in order to spin. Hanging off the bamboo were large planks of wood tied by rope in order to spin as well.

"What the heck's that?" asked Hector, coming around back.

"It's a training machine! It'll help me fight multiple opponents!"

"How dumb, and useless," muttered Lyn.

"What!" Guy was mad. Lyn sighed.

"Think about it, brat. The boards only move in a certain way but a swordsman can strike from anywhere. Plus it'll take to long to improve. Just like a kid."

"And I suppose you've got a better idea?" shouted Guy.

"W-well..."

"Well?"

"Learn Hiten-Mitsurugi ryu!" Lyn smiled.

"Oh and THAT'S EASY...is it?" Guy exploded, then went to go find Karel. He found Karel doing laundry, like usual.

"Hey Guy. Something the matter?"

"Is there a good way to fight multiple opponents at once?"

"This one won't teach Hiten-Mitsurugi ryu. And satsujin-ken's no good either," Karel smiled.

"SOMETHING I CAN LEARN IN A DAY, OKAY!"

"You're not in some situation, are you?"

"No, just curious."

"Alright then. Back in the Bakumatsu, the Ishin Shishi used this method when they were outnumbered. They'd pretend to run, and the opponents to follow. Naturally, the faster ones would catch up first, which is when the victim would turn, take one down, then keep running. It helped to defeat the force of attackers, or at least get away."

"I get it," smiled Guy.

"But it means being a fast runner."

Guy's smile immediatly turned into a frown.

"The point is actually to create a one-on-one situation, if anything else," Karel smiled. Guy nodded. "And Guy..."

"Yeah?"

"Kamiya-kashin ryu is katsujin-ken. You carry two fates. You and the one you protect. If you lose, both are lost. A weilder of katsujin-ken is not allowed to lose. Keep that in your heart."

"On my sword...I carry the fate of the one I am protecting. Defeat is not an option. Kamiya-kashin ryu...I, Myojin Guy, will do you honour in combat!" Guy ran toward to the Akabeko house, determination in every step.

"Right...let's go."

"We really going to do this, Miguel-sama?"
"Merchants wouldn't be here if it wasn't for us samurai. We deserve to take it." Miguel tossed the keys up, only to have them dissappear in mid-air.

"Again...pickpocketing saves the day..." muttered Guy.

"Give it back, shrimp!" yelled Miguel.

"Come and get it," Guy teased and sped off down the road. Miguel and his gang gave chase. Guy led them down a maze of streets until he stopped in a dead-end alley.

"Trapped like a rat," sneered Miguel.

"Come on!" Guy challenged. The gang moved to attack, only to find themselves unable to, for the alley was so narrow. Guy took down two.

"Attack one at a time, idiots!" yelled Miguel. That made it easy for Guy, who took them out one by one. The realisation hit Miguel like a brick.

"Luring us into a one-on-one fight...not bad for a kid."

"He figured it out..." gasped Guy, mentally.

"Throw all your bokuto at him!" yelled Miguel. The gang began to, then froze. Above Guy, on the roof of the building, stood Hector and Karel. The gang cleared out faster than one could say "Sword Demon."

"All we can do for now?" asked Hector.

"Yup." They sank behind the other side, "How'd you know?" asked Karel.

"Might be Guy's fight, but it'll be Florina and Akabeko who suffer," Hector replied, "Can't have innocents involved, plus you're to nice to let him sink or swim."

"Insult or compliment?" Karel glared.

"Whatever...it's a true one-on-one fight from here on in."

"Useless, that's what they were," Miguel drew his katana. "Never thought I'd have to use my Kogen-Itto ryu on you...Here it comes!" Miguel lunged. Guy evaded.

"I...see it! A real swordsman's swing!" Guy evaded strike after strike.

Florina watched in shock. She had followed Guy from the Akabeko house and now watched in amazement.

"It's dangerous for a girl to be wandering around at night." Florina jumped and turned around.

"W-who are y-you?"

"Kamiya Lyn. I'm Guy's teacher. So you came to stop him?"

Florina nodded.

"I-I w-was taught that samurai were supposed to serve their masters. But I don't want people to suffer."

"You can't stop a man like that...but promise me that if Guy wins, you'll have a stronger heart. You won't be owned by past customs, and if asked to do something like this again, you'll refuse. It's not enough for the law to declare us equal, people's hearts have to change as well."

"I...have had enough..." gasped Miguel. "Now...Floating foot drop!" Miguel dropped down and lunged for Guy's right foot.

"Win Guy!" yelled Florina. Guy slammed his foot down onto Miguel's sword.

"I WILL WIN!" Guy's shinai slammed into Miguel's head, knocking him out. He breathed hard in relief..then blinked. "Lyn? What are you doing here? And you two on the roof!"

Karel and Hector looked at each other, and ducked behind the building.

"Chirp...chirp...chirp..."

"There are no cicadas in the spring!"

"Seesh, never leave a guy alone," sighed Guy.

"I'll walk Florina home," volunteered Lyn.

"Guy. Thank you. I...I promise not to be scared anymore. See you tommorrow at Akabeko." Lyn and Florina left.

"Story's over..." said Karel.

"Not quiet. Why are you working at Akabeko anyway?" asked Hector.

"Well...I'm saving up for a reverse-blade wo dao. I want one for when I'm as good as Karel."

Hector thought that that was pretty funnt and almost collasped from laughing so hard.

"I'm not telling Lyn, that's for sure," sighed Guy, rolling his eyes.

"Too bad...I already heard," Lyn smothered a giggle as she and Florina headed into the night.

Elvengirl: How was that? Not to bad I hope...Oh yeah. Thank you all who reported my typos and such. I think I wrote this chapter right before I left for vacation, so my brain was no where near it's right state of mind, if it ever is, and I think was in a rush. At any rate thank you once again.

Reviews:

Wandering Cat: Thanks once again for reporting the typos and I'm glad you liked the fight. I'll be doing the next one, in Kyoto arc, with much greater deal. I find that one to be more talking. I know that Eliwood might be lacking the spine to bring down a government, but he's a got a minor role, so we won't see much of him.

Authorof the dark: You really think so. I'm glad that you think that, and that you are liking this story so much.

Karel: Well...I suppose you've done a good job.

Elvengirl: What do you mean "suppose"? Do you want me to take away your gundam?

Karel: You've done a good job.

Nightmare3: I to enjoy that part...and I'll be playing on the cooking bit alot. Thank you for your agreement on the Inuyasha one. Sain would make a pretty good Miroku. I could see the "bear my children" line coming into every one of his support conversations...except for maybe Kent. At any rate, thanks for your continuing support.

Aripheonix: Thank you very much. I hope that you enjoy the story. I await your review.

Elvengirl: Yes, there was something regarding G-project in there. I've probablly done the most insane thing in Fire Emblem history. I put Karel in a gundam, and the gundam has lots and lots of beam swords. There will be alot of crazy combat when I hit there...and design the upgrade.

Sain: Still, please read and review and tell Elvengirl what you all think.

Next time: The Raijuta arc begins.