Author's Note: As an important note: this is set after The Final. I have the movie verse in mind when I wrote this.

Also, I'm sorry if I wasn't clear enough about this, but the first FIVE CHAPTERS of this convoluted mess can be found at "a distant part of the sky"

I am so sorry. It feels like I have led you into some wild goose chase and I feel so embarrassed for my dumbassery but yes, for this to make sense, you'll have to go and read some of the chapters there.

An Unexpected Invitation

Tokyo – for all of its improved government buildings made of stone and bricks, roads paved with round stones, opulent mansions of the ruling classes; the lush, tropical gardens, parks and fountains – everything that this new modern world had to offer – still has murky alleyways filled with shadowy figures lurking and leering. Filthy and filled with rage, their bloodshot eyes glittering in the night; voices snarling and begging, bony hands and fingers reaching out to grab you, curling in invitation to the darkness within the darkness.

These secret passageways to the city's underbelly, to the land of the lost and the forgotten, was like everywhere else in the world. It was all the same.

Enishi had travelled to so many different countries renowned for their architecture and advances in culture, art, touched by the wonderful new thing called technology – and always, they have places where the stink of poverty could only be concealed but not erased.

In truth, this was where he had learned how to survive. Not this here, but the same nameless place of hell; where the dirt feels like second skin, huddled in a corner, breathing in his own stench of sweat, muck and blood. That had been his reality. Not a nightmare that he could wake up from but a way of life. At least until he had found his escape.

He was, for a long time, dead inside. Not in the catatonic ways of the opium addled but someone just going through the motions: eat when hungry, rest when weary, run and hide when hurt.

His sister was dead and she was everything that mattered to him. She had loved him until she had been taken away from him. There was no family to go back to, especially after he had failed to protect her and bring her back home. And as he walked through the snow, numbed and cold, unable to even hold Tomoe one last time, to say goodbye, because the monster had taken her away, Enishi knew right at that moment that everyone had abandoned him. Including the gods, who were all cruelly blind and deaf. Uncaring about whispered players and pleas offered with tears and blood.

No oh gods, no, please not my sister. Not her. Please. No.

And slowly the world fell away into muted everything. There were no colors and sounds, no taste, no feelings. There was, simply, in the mind of a traumatized child, nothing else to live for.

Grief consumed him and then madness and then finally, bone tired, he found himself feeling all emptied out. All that remained of him was his name. And the memory of Tomoe being cut down that winter night: the silver arc of the blade, the spatter of bright red blood against the snow, the stillness of the forest that witnessed the violence of her death.

He walked and walked and was pushed around, was pitied, was hated, was asked question, was ignored, was given food and water, was starved, was briefly welcomed into homes, was kicked and thrown out from whatever sanctuary he found for himself. All these happening in regular intervals until one day, he crawled inside the belly of a ship that smelled like disease and death, ready to sleep, never to wake up.

He hid in a corner only to be rudely waken up, arms dragging him out to the deck, the heat of the sun, the smell of the seawater surrounding him with sudden and startling awareness.

There were voices questioning him, a mix of words that he couldn't understand at first. Then haltingly, someone asked in stilted Japanese: Who are you? What are you doing here? How did you get here?

Enishi remained silent, biting the insides of his cheeks and they all thought that he was dumb and mute but not entirely useless. So, he was put to work, cleaning at first and then delivering parcels above and below deck. He earned his meals and then a hammock and it wasn't as bad as being in the streets of Japan, treated like a dog. Or worst, a lost boy.

It didn't take him long to figure out where he was.

A merchant ship on the way to China. To a place that didn't know about Yukishiro Tomoe and Yukishiro Enishi. Another country that hadn't betrayed him yet. And Enishi promised himself that if he survived crossing this vast ocean, if he could safely step foot into a new land where he could rebuild himself, make himself strong – he would really live and offer his sister justice and revenge.

And Jinchuu was born.

On that very same night, Tomoe came to his dreams and smiled. Small and tentative. Encouraging.

When Enishi woke up, feeling oddly refreshed and alive, he knew what he was meant to do. He had found his answer.

Except now – now with that cursed journal, Tomoe's own words damning him and his entire reason for living, Enishi was back to where he had started and it was fucking aggravating. He could taste the fury inside his mouth, could sense it settling into the pit of his stomach, a flame ignited. Perhaps this was how Shishio had felt all those years ago, when the government he had killed for had turned its back on him and set him on fire.

It felt like an all-consuming blaze that could burn him if wasn't careful, could very well burn him the way her sister's quest for revenge had turned everything into ashes.

She'd forgotten her why's and had instead found herself falling for the very same man that had stolen her happiness. Even until now, Enishi could not fully understand how it could have happened. Had she been fooling herself all that time? Thinking that it was love when it could very well have been pity? Maybe even not that. Maybe she had realized that despite being a daughter of a samurai, it was not in her nature to kill so easily. She played the game all too well and she ended up unable to harm the man whose trust she had coaxed out of him and to betray him would have been equivalent to betraying herself.

Was that what had happened?

Enishi would never know. But his sister had found peace and for that he was grateful. Even if it had come at such a great price.

Tomoe had not meant for him to read the journal, it was for Himura – but maybe in a way, his sister had known that someday, he would want an explanation and that she owed it to him just as much. For all it's worth, at least he was given the chance to know her truth, what had been in her heart of hearts all those years ago.

Still, it didn't change anything. After he had to grieve for her the second time around, everything that he had gone through – it all came back to him with the destructive force of a typhoon, battering and ramming him, everything inside of him cracking and splintering into tiny little pieces until all that was left were sad debris, floating listlessly in an ocean of regret.

And now Enishi wanted justice and revenge, but this time for himself. For everything that he had lost and sacrificed. For the boy that was abandoned all those years ago, carrying and tending all that misplaced anger and hatred that had turned him into this. A creature of darkness, bringer of destruction. The very same qualities he had condemned Himura for years and years and years.

Battousai had only even been a puppet. Enishi could see it now. He no longer hated the hitokiri – not in the same burning way he did before he had learned the truth – but Enishi still held him accountable for how their lives had been so devastatingly ruined. Himura was the conduit, the catalyst. All of them a victim that started from the choices that Himura had been forced to make.

Yes, Enishi understands it all now.

He would still have his Jinchuu.

And he knew exactly where to start.

But first, he would have to keep his anger at bay. Anger would only cloud his judgement and he needed to think clearly, be more than cautious with his next moves. Getting involved with the government was hardly ideal but he had no choice. The powerful people behind the mafia had already bailed him out once and the connection had inevitably been revealed. Not enough for it to be worrisome, but it was now out in the open – perhaps they even wanted to flaunt it just a little bit. A way to make everyone see how much power they could wield.

Of course, Saitou knows there are Japanese officials involved with the mafia – how else could a fucking ship the size of the Rengoku be re-fitted and repaired to Shishio's specification without anyone looking the other way around. They couldn't trace the bribes because Enishi handled those and he wasn't being conceited when he told the Myojin kid that he was proficient with his job.

This was the only reason why the government was giving his freedom back. Not that it would last. Enishi knew all about betrayal and false glimmers of hope used to lure the weak. He was certain that he would be killed the moment he gave Saitou the information and the access to the weapons that they wanted. Once he'd given up that bargaining chip, he was good as dead. There was no point in keeping him alive. Why would they want to bring him back to Japan after they've eliminated those that were connected with the mafia in Shanghai? He held everything together. If there was someone that needed to be exterminated, it was definitely him. Especially after they've taken control of the guns and the cannons and the ships. A war was always two sided, after all.

And as long as there was no pretense from both sides, he knew where he stood and he could act accordingly. Saitou would be aware of this and already probably working on a counter move. Which was fine with Enishi, Saitou was a worthy opponent, someone he'd take pride and please in being able to outmaneuver. He could deal with Saitou with no damage to whatever was left of his conscience.

Even Kamiya was relatively safe. After all, they would do everything in their power to bring her back alive. Not unhurt, necessarily. But alive. Her safety would be secondary to the mission and if Enishi was feeling just a little bit uncomfortable with that, it was only because she was the only innocent person in the whole sordid plot that the government had concocted.

Even Himura has a role to play. The only question was whether Himura understood it or was coming into the whole thing blindly. Stupidly. But surely, he knows that he was the bait in all of this? Because what better way to control Enishi by dangling the possibility of getting a second chance at killing Himura and finally exacting his revenge.

Only, Saitou did not know about the Tomoe's journal and that after reading it, Enishi have no more wish to end Battousai's life. It would be pointless now and a total waste of his energy. Tomoe would not want that – not even from the start – and he wasn't going to do anything that his sister would disapprove.

Although it certainly doesn't mean that he didn't want to hurt Battousai. He would have to put that thought away for now. If a chance presented itself - well, maybe.

Either way, Enishi was counting on that fact that Saitou was not aware of that one important detail. Saitou could definitely be aware of the journal's existence - after all, Enishi was certain that Saitou employed his own spies inside the police station, even inside the jail cells, but he could not possibly kow what it contained and what it meant. It was imperative that it stayed that way.

Enishi would need a plan for that too.

Too many things happening. Too many moving pieces. He still wasn't entirely convinced that Kamiya will go with him to Shanghai. She didn't seem enthusiastic about it, but she hadn't outright said 'no'. That has to mean something.

He would need to convince her first. It couldn't be that hard. After all, this was the woman who had bravely, stubbornly decided to take a bullet for Himura. She wasn't trying to be a hero - it wasn't that - that would imply selfish reasons and she just didn't strike him as someone with that kind of ego.

There was just something inside of her that wouldn't allow anyone to be hurt, not if she can help it and perhaps that was a weakness, too easily exploited but it could also be a double-edged blade that he had to be aware and wary of.

It could all very well be her strength. Her willingness to save people had surely encouraged her ragtag adoptees to be so overly protective of her. To inspire such loyalty was a definite advantage. What could they do, though? If she said 'yes'? They can't possibly tie her to a tree just to prevent her from coming with him.

Enishi smirked, envisioning her eyes wild with rage, screaming at her friends to let her go. Will they go as far as sending her to Kyoto? And what would Saitou do if it ever came to that? He would have to think about this more, but later. There was something distracting about Kamiya and he couldn't quite fully concentrate on trying to decipher what her decision would be based on their brief but chaotic encounter at the dojo.

Tomorrow, he'd make his move but for now, he concentrated on making his way towards Rakinmura, where he knew Inui Banjin had been hiding and waiting for him ever since he had gotten out of prison.

There was a reason why he had ended up working with the mafia. He was reliable when it comes to ruthlessness, a trait the mafia valued, but more than that, he had a knack for strategic planning and Enishi has plans for everything, even losing.

He knew it was a possibility. He wasn't stupid. He'd seen what excessive pride and arrogance had done to the Yaminobu. He'd learned his lesson. He always had just one more tick up his sleeves.

In this case, that would Inui Banjin. Someone who's existence was kept secret for this sole reason. If things didn't go as planned, Banjin was supposed to get him back on a ship to Shanghai. Fortunately, that wouldn't be needed now. He hadn't been looking forward to being smuggled back into China, probably inside a small cramp crate that smelled of livestock. Thanks to Saitou, the government would be paying for his return to China. He would demand a first-class cabin on the best and most expensive ship he could find. Because fuck them.

His return to Shanghai would be slightly different now, more complicated with the addition of Kamiya (and possibly her whole household, more money the government will have to burn – at this Enishi was slightly appeased) but everything else will proceed as planned.

He just needed to get a message delivered to Gein back in Shanghai. It's a simple enough message, one Banjin would not be able to screw up. It's just a few words really, but Gein would understand: "Headed back to Shanghai. Do it."

END NOTE: Well that's short. But I don't know. I guess an update is better than nothing. LOL. It's kind of coming along but I really need like a beta-reader for this because it suddenly has a plot. Sort of. I'm still working on it but - gosh, it feels all muddled up inside my head. Thank you in advance for reading. So sorry for any mistake. I will most definitely be making corrections on this chapter but I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think.