Author's note:

Kenshin - Four years, and still you're obsessed with egg rolls. (-_-x)

Justice - Work with me here, Himura. Taco. Egg rolls. (bo.o)b

Kenshin - It's been done already, it has. (-_-x)

Justice - I'm always behind the loop… (._. )

. . greetings.

I'm twenty-three now, and I've taken to heart some advice I received a very long time ago about how Hiko was giving Goku a run for his money in environmental-altering flares of warrior ki. On that note, scaling back just a hair - sue me, I was seventeen. T_T I will attempt to exercise superior craftsmanship, although my grammar is as horrendous as it ever was.

Fifteen dollars says someone can pick that last sentence apart and find five to six errors. . Eh. Additionally, is it a bad sign if I cringe when I think about reading my own writing from years gone by? Anyone? Anyone?

Oh, well. On with the frakkin' show.

Oh, yes… you can blame the resumption of this story on Anberlin's Paperthin Hymn.

XIII

The Sword of Seijuro Hiko

by Justice Stryfe

_________________________________________

Ten: Dichotomy

I thought you said forever

Over and over

A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion

- Paperthin Hymn

Somewhere, in the vast swirl of shadow and light that danced before his eyes, lost amid a world in the throes of every murky and life-stunting act of malice imaginable, there was an infinitesimal tidbit of happiness just barely beyond his reach.

He understood this fact as another man might understand (or for that matter, contemplate) the existence of his nose, or his eyes - things that simply were. They were facts of life, they were there, they performed their function, they were set where they were supposed to be; little else was thought of them.

In this way, Seijuro Hiko understood that happiness was not the fate of a wielder of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu. He'd seen it all through his master's life, and heard about the eleventh master from the twelfth many times over a campfire, the former having been full of stories of the tenth, but there wouldn't be a fourteenth to reminisce over the burdens of the thirteenth. Hiko noted that despite his mastery of Hiten Mitsurugi's combat techniques and his physical prowess exceeding all the previous Hiten masters, he was clearly his forerunner's inferior as a teacher. The thought pained him, but he had no choice but to acknowledge it.

In his mind's eye, despite it all, despite every instinct that told him it was not for him, he saw himself reach out towards a glimmer of light in the distance, his lightly armored hand grasping at a beacon he knew he'd never catch, no matter how hard he fought or how bitterly he resisted the tide of madness that washed over his small nation like a tsunami.

The glimmer vanished, and he closed his eyes in resignation.

In the now-complete darkness, a voice seemed to call to him. He opened his eyes, but now saw nothing but an expanse of black that seemed endless.

Quietly the blackness whispered to him, faintly so that he had to strain to hear. He moved to cup his hand to his ear, and found that he could not see or perceive the movement.

He swung his hand over to touch his forehead, and felt nothing. His eyes widened, but he did not feel the change. It was as if his body did not even exist. As he struggled to find some semblance of sensation in the empty void that engulfed his consciousness, he heard the voice repeat itself, only slightly louder, but enough so that he could understand what it was asking.

What would you give to change it all…?

_______________

He opened his eyes in something closer to panic than he had ever felt. Damn nightmares, he thought bitterly.

Beyond the walls of the house he was interred in, he could hear the chatter of merchants and shoppers, and children squealing in pursuit of one another, though the house itself was noisy as well, with what sounded like several men shouting their lungs out at one another. A few birds and perhaps a cat joined in the ruckus, a few carts, maybe a horse or two...

He sat upright, despite his wounded frame, and wondered how it was that his life had come to this, recovering from wounds sustained only because he'd been drunk, recuperating in an enemy's hideout, the very enemy who had destroyed his apprentice's life.

In the corner of the room, his would-be guard stirred, noting his captive's wakefulness. The man began to open his mouth, but was abruptly silenced by Hiko's annihilating glare.

"Where is Katsura." It was more of a statement than a question.

The man's eyes flicked towards the sliding door. Hiko's gaze narrowed imperceptibly, and he nodded towards the door, which his 'captor' promptly fled through. Angling his neck in the opposite direction, Hiko noted that Katsura had continued to leave the Hiten longsword Wintermoon on a small pedestal near his bedding. Idly he reached for it, taking comfort in the heft of the great katana, and the cold, blue gleam of the blade.

Five minutes passed, and Kogoro Katsura, leader of Choshu and perhaps the most fiercely independent man in Japan, found himself standing at the door to the one man in the world that he felt he had to answer to. The cold beads of sweat that snaked their way down his back reassured him that the Hiten master was well aware of his presence, despite the noise in and around the house.

Gathering himself, he opened the sliding door, and was met by the baleful golden gaze of his assassin's guardian. "We have things to discuss," the swordsman stated flatly.

Katsura nodded. Bending down, he picked up a tray carrying a teapot and two cups, and walked to a pillow situated across from Hiko. Seating himself, he proceeded to pour tea for both himself and his erstwhile captive; Hiko did not move at all, but instead bored into the revolutionary's soul with his foreboding gaze.

Katsura began without preamble. "My sister was apparently on her way here to demand an audience with me concerning Kenshin. She…" he paused for a moment, focusing on the warmth in the teacup he now held. "She was well acquainted with him, I gather."

"They played together as children, when we went to her town for supplies."

"Indeed," replied the other, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "She tried not to show it - I think she knew that... I think she knew she was going to die," he grated out, "and she was trying to press me about Kenshin before she passed on. I think she was… angry with me because of him."

Hiko was silent, wishing for all the world that he could simply rend the man seated before him in twain, but holding himself at bay out of debt to the departed.

"She mentioned that he was the greatest swordsman in the world, present company included," Katsura half-heartedly chuckled. "She was entirely disapproving - vehemently - of his position as our assassin, a trait she no doubt shared with you."

"It was through her that I learned of his assuming the role in the first place."

"I see." Katsura took a sip of his tea, his eyes never leaving Hiko's. "Kenshin's unparalleled skill seemed to have made an impression in more than one way."

"You needn't always speak about him in the superlative," Hiko said in a voice of iron. "He is an apprentice, and a boy, nothing more."

Katsura sighed. "Apprentice or no, he is the most-" Katsura stopped himself from finishing 'most powerful piece in the war', his sense of self-preservation having shut his mouth before he could fully rationalize how unwise that choice of words would be. "His power is beyond that of many dozens of seasoned, full-grown warriors. I firmly believe him to be beyond the ability of the Shinsengumi captains, perhaps our only combatant who could withstand the elite Wolves."

The irony of the comment failed to elicit even the slightest amusement from Hiko. "Why did you not employ him as a free sword, then? Why the shadow-stalking killer?"

Again, the Choshu leader sighed, and was a few moments in responding. "Truth be told, I have been sorely tempted to remove him from his duties as an assassin almost daily since his first… job." Hiko's scowl deepened. "I know you do not believe me, but I am deeply concerned about the effect the war has had on his mind. I simply believed that it was necessary for the survival of our cause to send him to eliminate adversaries via assassination while we built up our numbers."

"Originally, I did not realize the true extent of his power, and once I had, the Shinsengumi had organized around their strongest officers, eliminating our ability to bring them down in single combat with Kenshin as our champion. That, perhaps, would have been the wisest choice - and one better suited, even if only slightly, for him; in the early days of the Shinsengumi there was less cohesion and more solo work amongst them. Opportunities to eliminate the captains have not come again."

Katsura stopped and took a long drink from his cup. He pondered for a moment, staring into the cup as the liquid, eyes distant. "Months ago I realized that Kenshin was not only a powerful warrior to be sent into battle, but fearsome in his potential to lead. It was not a trait he possessed when he first arrived - something he grew into, I suppose."

The Choshu man winced. "I have asked him to attend meetings of the Ishin leadership with me, as a peer, not a guard," Hiko frowned in contemplation of the unexpected statement. "I'd wanted him to make his voice heard in the direction the war was headed, and in the formation of alliances and, one day, the new government. If anyone should have a say in the new government, it should be Kenshin. Okubo of Satsuma has met him twice and is in agreement - it never takes him long to make an accurate judgment of a man's character. His trust in Kenshin is implicit. My associate, Aritomo Yamagata, also believes him to be an important - personality - in the war, and wishes to ascribe more authority to him, but Kenshin has consistently declined, saying he wishes only to see the era change and expressing a contentment to vanish into history as an unknown swordsman."

Hiko's countenance fell slightly. "That is patently Kenshin."

Despite the lingering fear for his life, Katsura mustered the courage to look Hiko in the eye. "I truly feel that Kenshin is the most potent force in the war - now, and for however long he commits himself to the cause. Four times now, I have asked him to attend meetings with me as an officer of Choshu, and four times he has declined. I have continued to assign him to assassinations, yes, but I am fully aware of the damage done to him by them."

Katsura closed his eyes as if envisioning Kenshin from the past, and so did not see Hiko's thinly veiled reaction to his next words. "If not for the young woman he met recently, whom he has taken to hiding in our facilities, I would have already retired him. Ironically, the day of the Ikedaya incident, I had planned to return to tell Kenshin that he was to be assigned as an army free sword, effective immediately. Since then, though, he has departed Kyoto with his young woman friend, disguised as a young newlywed couple, selling medicine and vegetables." A pained smile came to the revolutionary's lips. "Although, I would venture that it is no pretense for him."

Katsura's eyes were still shut as he took a long drink of his tea, oblivious to the plight inside Hiko's soul. Damn. Damn… gods damn it all… Hiko decided then and there to bury Ayane's feelings for Kenshin inside himself and never to reveal them to the boy. Everything is twisted…

Katsura's eyes opened, and he looked to Hiko to be on the verge of tears. "Despite everything, I would ask a question of you, Sir Hiko."

Hiko's gut twisted painfully. The man gave the impression that he already knew the answer to his own question. "That being?"

Katsura hesitated for a moment, and the twist became a snarl, and then a writhing convolution as the hesitation dragged on. At length, the man seemed to gather himself, and taking a deep breath, he asked slowly, "What relationship did my sister have with Kenshin?"

And Hiko's world came crashing down, as he weighed the half-honest truth half-retribution his answer would be. Briefly, he considered sparing the man the further torment of the knowledge he was asking for, but cut the thought off in recognition of at least the need to be honest about the girl's feelings.

"She was," Hiko said slowly, measuring his words in an effort to keep himself from cracking, "…infatuated with Kenshin, for several years. It was purely an affection between children, in my estimation, but…" He trailed off in an uncertain, meandering manner that his master would have belted him for a hundred times over. "…when Kenshin left for the war, she was the only one he spoke to. He had several friends in the village, but everything else seemed unimportant to him."

Katsura gripped his knees in an effort to quell the shaking in his hands. "I see."

A long silence fell between the two men, Hiko lost in dark thought, and Katsura wholly surrendered to his self-recrimination. At length, he bowed deeply to Hiko, and said in a voice thick with grief, head still pressed to the floor, "Forgive me. Kenshin is several days travel from here in the town of Otsu. As I said, he poses as a medicine man living in a hut a mile west of the village - you may find him there if you seek him." Standing abruptly, he turned and strode from the room swiftly.

Hiko watched him go and wondered if the man would still have a soul when all was settled and the new world he wished for came to be.

_______________

Two days after departing Kyoto for Otsu, Seijuro Hiko had one thought and one thought alone.

I have got to be losing my mind.

He had not slept but an hour in his estimation, and not by his will. Even now, he attempted to settle against a large fallen oak and sleep, but the fear of his unconscious mind kept him from drifting away.

In the few moments he had rested over a day gone by, the Void had returned to him in his dream, enveloping all the world in its ink-colored mass. The voice in the darkness called him into itself, and asked him the same question it had asked him three nights before.

The event was so unnerving to Hiko that even now, he felt actual fear at the thought of sleep. Never before had Hiko feared anything - other than the death of his apprentice, and the moments of terror following his inheritance of the Hiten Mitsurugi ultimate technique, when his master had gasped for breath to console his grief-stricken student, rent from shoulder to waist completely in two.

Now, though, he feared his own slumber. He was already losing control in the bright of day - to lose himself in his sleep as well was to look madness in the eye and make peace with it. With no refuge, how could he maintain what was left of his sanity?

Over and over he alternated between pushing the thoughts from his mind, and attempting to make sense of them, despite the little he had to reason from. Unsettled, he tossed to one side and the other as the hours dragged on and the sun finally set in the distance. I don't know what I should do once I reach Otsu. I will not enter the town until I am decided on a course of action; but what will it be? Do I go through with it all and kill him? Do I talk to him? I certainly can't speak of Ayane to him, not now, probably not ever. The crickets grew louder in the glade as true night set in. Obvious blow to his tenuous grip on reality aside, it most certainly will not make him walk away from the path he's chosen - if anything, it would fuel his rage against the Shogunate all the more - not helpful. Hiko wondered idly if Saitou might have slain the offenders himself had he arrived first.

Folding his arms behind his head, he shifted himself to lay flat on the ground, eyes tracking the bright quarter moon as it sailed lazily across the sky. It was a cloudless night, far away from the light of the Kyoto outlying settlements, and the stars were magical to him, set amidst a field of wondrous sparkles of what seemed to be clouds beyond the sky. A good night for sake, if I had any.

Staring up at the stars, he gradually succumbed to the peaceful scenery and fell asleep, the fear of the blackness fading into the back of his mind, settling into nooks and crannies of shadow,

And then lunging abruptly, swallowing him whole.

_______________

He had the distinct impression that he'd been awake when everything that was close to the color black had suddenly exploded and moved to devour him. He didn't even have time to reach for his sword, the onrush was so swift.

One moment, he'd been looking at the stars, the next minute he'd felt himself dozing, and then suddenly it was as if the entire world had turned upside down and no one had thought to mention to him to hang onto something.

\\ just as soon as you see something to hang onto in this abyss, let me know about it. \\

Hiko (whirled?) around in his mind, sight (useless) tracking about himself to find the source of the voice.

\\ a thoroughly human reaction, but ultimately pointless. \\

In his mind, Hiko blinked. "I'm talking to myself - again. That's wonderful. Master always did say I'd be the first Hiten master to lose my mind."

\\ Ah, how swiftly we are distracted from pressing matters. Let's chat about something more important. \\

In what amounted to a blink without blinking, Hiko found himself on his mountaintop, a dozing Kenshin in the background, leaning against a tree, his eyes on the sky, as if daydreaming. It was all the same as he remembered from his dream weeks before, aside from Kenshin looking content, a seamless transition from the black to the mountain, as if someone had simply lit the sun like a candle and he'd found his body again. Hiko quirked an eyebrow. "This again?"

\\ Not quite the same. \\

Hiko turned to his left, and found himself staring into what he only assumed was a phantom of his sleeping mind's portrayal of his mood of late. His skin was the color of dark ash, his hair somehow even more black, and his clothes were varying shades of gray and black as well. The cloak doesn't look too bad in black, he mused.

His shadow self stared at him in disgust. \\ Don't you have more crucial matters to think on than fashion? \\

Hiko snorted. "It's a dream. I very much doubt I'll get any better results talking to myself in my sleep than in waking. Though, I can't say the red eyes are flattering," he smirked, motioning idly at his doppelganger. "Besides, nothing's crucial about talking to myself. I do that all damned day."

\\ Boring, wouldn't you say? \\

"The upside is that I know I'm talking to someone intelligent. That's a hard commodity to find in these parts."

The blood-red orbs looked back at him through a grimace. \\ again, let's discuss something more important than your ego, like your apprentice here. \\

Hiko snorted even louder. "I don't have an ego, I merely acknowledge facts. False humility is as repellant as bluff and bravado. However, I do indeed wonder what the issue is with my student looking content for once." Hiko moseyed a few yards closer, and called out to the boy, who seemed not to notice.

Hiko frowned and pitched a conveniently-placed pebble at him. The stone seemed to pass through and fall flat onto the grass beyond him. Kenshin didn't give any indication of having noticed.

\\ He is unaware of either of us being present. One of the drawbacks of you having never taught him the secret swords. Perhaps that's your colossal self-regard at work again. \\

Hiko turned and frowned at his dark reflection. "It isn't any fault of mine that I'm better than most of the world. And what in the nine hells do the Ascendant Swords have to do with this?"

His shadow-self walked past him. \\ What are you going to do once you arrive in that little hillside town and find your apprentice putting the moves on a woman instead of a sword through the shogunate? \\

"I had no idea I'm so damned good at non sequiters."

\\ You're trying my patience terribly. \\

"I haven't decided," Hiko said, playing along with his insanity. "At first, I planned to kill him, then I wondered about teaming up with him and wandering again as I used to. After talking with Saitou, I was thinking about killing him again, and now, after conversing with that human garbage Kogoro, I'm wondering what to do again."

His shadow self stopped in front of Kenshin and turned to face Hiko. \\ What makes you think you have the gall to kill a boy who might as well be your own son? \\

"I'll cut you off right there. It's in the boy's best interest to not spend the remainder of his life as a blood-soaked backstabber. It is my duty as his master to spare him the torment of such an existence."

The other him nodded. \\ You're right. \\

Without a word, the other him slid into a crouching stance and leapt at Kenshin. Hiko jumped forward involuntarily, but not quickly enough to reach (himself?) as the black Hiko, unseen by Kenshin, shifted his left leg in front of himself and let his glittering black blade tear through Kenshin in the Hiten succession technique. Invisible or no, the wound seemed completely real as Kenshin's eyes widened and he gagged at the pain of being cloven in two.

Hiko darted forward and grabbed what was left of his apprentice's upper torso, the anguish of his master's final day seizing him wholly. The boy seemed to notice his presence now, and made an effort to speak, but only blood came from his mouth.

His dark doppelganger glanced sidelong at him. \\ Don't fret so much. He's not dead; he just woke up unpleasantly where he is now. No doubt his new lady friend will comfort him back to sleep. \\

As if on cue, Kenshin took one shuddering, gasping breath, and died in his arms. Hiko stared numbly at him, the weight of his original intentions sinking in. Then a thought occured to him. "Are you telling me that... this... is representative of the actual Kenshin? He was here?!"

The other him nodded, massive arms folded over his chest. \\ As much as there is a 'here' in this realm. Now, let's recap. Boy trains in Hiten, check. Boy violates school teachings, check. Boy emerges into war and tilts the scales completely off balance, check. Boy single-handedly becomes threat to future of japan, check. All in all, I'd say killing him is the right idea from the Hiten Mitsurugi viewpoint. \\

Hiko growled low in his throat. "I do hope you're going somewhere with this. As you seem to be me, I'm sure you're aware of how much I'm thinking about carving you up at the moment." If this was in any way real... no, it had to be. How would I have ever known Kogoro's name without hearing it from Kenshin himself? I never knew Ayane even had a family name. So that was actually Kenshin speaking to me? None of this is logical in the least.

The other him raised one fist to his chin, thumb and forefinger out in a gesture of intense concentration. \\ Think past that for a moment. Balance is overrated, you know this. Wickedness has a tendency to overrun, and more often than not, goodness sits and waits and plays the kindness card until the bloodshed gets too uncomfortable, whatever and wherever that line is drawn is, of course, quite variable. But back to Kenshin - If he can change the world, why not let him? Who's to say it'll be for the worse? Look at your trip so far, and tell me that a world forged by Battousai will be more unbearable than this. \\

His black self made a sound of contempt. \\ As it stands, he's strong enough to take on anyone in the shogunate one-on-one. If he could corner the Wolves one by one, he'd likely be able to take them out over a period of time, further easing the cause of the Ishin, who already would have been lost if not for his arrival. Lacking the succession technique, though, as well as the Ascendant Sword, he's not ready to deal with foes beyond the Shinsengumi. Already one exists who rivals him in skill, and he is only partially trained as well. Ironically, they're on the same side at the moment. \\

The Hiten master stopped for a moment, and wondered if he truly was losing his mind.

Turning to the dark thing wearing his face, he asked flatly, "What the hell are you? You're not me."

Hiko felt a deep chill trickle down his spine as the darkness shaped like a man positively grinned at him.

\\ I am you, simply better informed on current events. \\

The trickle became a river as the doppelganger craned his neck to one side to regard Hiko in an uncannily catlike manner. \\ Very soon, you will have the opportunity to change the course of japan's future, in such a way that kenshin can not. If you have the will, you may change everything with your own hands. All you need do is accept what is offered to you when the time comes. \\

Hiko glared at the darkness. "I have never taken well to being uninformed. Speak clearly."

\\ Details are unimportant. It will come together soon. \\

"What are you planning to do with Kenshin?"

\\ With kenshin? \\ the doppleganger eyed him as a man might regard a particularly strange insect. \\ I am not planning to do anything with Kenshin. I'm not planning to do much of anything at all. The real question is what do you plan to do with kenshin? \\

"I recall that we covered this already."

\\ I'm not referring to our present conversation. I refer to the incident weeks ago with the slave caravan. Isn't that what you wanted? What you were screaming about in your head? \\

Hiko scowled more deeply, and laid his student's phantom-body on the ground. Dream or vision or whatever it was, the blood was as warm and repugnant as it had ever been in waking hours. "Elaborate, and make it quick." His temper was rapidly fraying with the meandering conversation.

\\You can change it all yourself, the course of the war, the chaos of the future, and spare him the agony of a world too cruel for him to bear. The Hitokiri Battousai will no longer be needed, and all that will be left for Kenshin will be to enjoy his life in peace with his wife. \\

The scathing words he'd intended to voice died on his lips as his imitator's words sank in. The anger in his glare did not abate, however, and he found himself trying to see past those arrogant crimson eyes to whomever lay past them.

The imitation smiled in what seemed like genuine understanding. \\ It's a lot to take in all at once. You'll see soon enough. In the meantime, I recommend getting some rest. A chance at obtaining ultimate power requires a man in top condition. \\

Despite his unease, he felt himself snort in derision. "Ultimate power is already mine. It is not something you can give to me."

\\ Is it? Interesting. But keep in mind what I've said, Hiten-Mitsurugi Thirteen. \\

His shadow-self vanished, as did the broken body of Kenshin. Hiko saw little sense in looking around for the nonsensical being in the middle of a dream, so he simply stood for a while in thought. He had no idea of the passage of time, and his mind was quite empty save for one overriding thought.

I have got to be losing my mind.

_____| End Ch.10 |_____

Author's Notes:

So, after a couple of years, I finally figured out the one villain who could give Seijuro Hiko a run for his money. I daresay it's a whopper, as the villain is very similar to the one man who ever defeated Kenshin Himura. That's my only clue. o.o I hope you'll stick with me to see more. Please note that the story is going to take a decidedly supernatural turn in the coming chapters. But hey, this is RK - not as if that ground hasn't already been trodden a bit. Might as well go all out!

I also figure, being slightly (slightly) more mature as a writer now, I ought to polish up the old chapters and tighten the writing a bit. Not sure how yet - one thing that hasn't changed is my tendency to be long-winded.

I also decided to focus on ken-ki to a greater extent in combat, instead of just throwing Japan into a random tsunami or two when Hiko gets mad. In the end, it makes the story easier to write, because, even as far-fetched and crazy as I can be, I can't really think of a plausible excuse to Hiko summoning a Cat.5 hurricane every time he loses his temper, which he's going to do - a lot.

I had intended to finish the story in a total of fourteen chapters, not counting the epilogue, one chapter for each Hiten Mitsurugi master (Kenshin quit and all, but he's still Seijuro Hiko XIV.) I don't know if it'll be adequate, though. Too bad, too, I had some kewl names picked out for the chapters.

Now, ticking points off on one hand -

Yes, I'm continuing to make Hiko a dark and brooding son of a gun with no end in sight to the potential angst.

Yes, I invoked the one-shot from the Warring States in naming Hiko's sword.

Yes, I'm going to make Hiko even more powerful than the manga implies he is. I've also got this crazy idea about Hiko jumping around in traditional samurai armor Sou-Ryuu-Sening every jackass in Japan from Hokkaido to Kagoshima.

Yes, you know your inner geek squealed at the thought. Don't lie to me. ~o.o~ I perceive these things. No, I haven't have any superhuman senses - just the heightened awareness of a man who's seen one too many badass fanfics. Call it intuitive vision.

Eat yer heart out, Saitou.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: STOP SCREWING UP MY KIRBIES, PLEASE o.o