I do not own Infinite Stratos nor do I own Rurouni Kenshin. All rights respectively go to Izuru Yumizuru, the author who created Infinite Stratos, and Nobuhiro Watsuki, the author of Rurouni Kenshin.

Night fell on the second day of training. Raiden and his master, Hiko Seijūrō XVIII, were clashing against one another in the air with their katanas drawn. Already two days have passed since Raiden and his master had begun the training, but Raiden first had to brush up on his skills with Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū if he was ever going to learn the final techniques.

And so far, Hiko found his stupid apprentice's skills very rusty.

Raiden attempts to strike his master with Ryū Tsui Shō Sen, the first strike ready to miss on purpose so that Raiden can prepare to turn his blade and execute the second part of the technique.

*BAM*

But Hiko responds with a kick to his student's left side with his right leg before Raiden could even enact the first strike.

"You held your sword too high above your head," Hiko criticized in midair. "Attacks are not just limited to your sword but also from your mind. You're relying too much on your speed at reading your opponent's moves, trying to think of counterattacks to win. Never taking the opportunity to make the move first before them."

That said, Raiden crashes hard to the ground as a result while Hiko gracefully lands and looks down at Raiden, struggling to stand up.

"It's a good thing I decided to retrain you before teaching you the final techniques. I never would have thought you'd be so out of practice."

But a stubborn Raiden reminds his master, "There's no time. Phantom Task could strike out at any moment with everyone here. I have to learn the final teachings before that happens!"

Without warning, Hiko Seijūrō XVIII quickly sheathes his katana and assumes a battōjutsu stance. Raiden, however, catches onto it very quickly and blocks the strike. But as he does so, he notices that his master struck with the sword still in its sheath.

'Battōjutsu, taking the sheath from the belt in that stance. This is Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū battōjutsu – Sō Ryū Sen!'

And that is when he realized his mistake as Hiko lifted him up into the air from the strike.

'Scrap! Master hasn't drawn his sword out yet! The alternative form of Sō Ryū Sen: Sō Ryū Sen Ikazuchi!'

And just as Raiden predicted, Hiko Seijūrō XVIII draws out his sword. In Sō Ryū Sen Ikazuchi, the first strike is made with the sheathed sword, and once it makes contact and occupies the opponent's sword, the sword is drawn using battōjutsu for a second strike. While the original Sō Ryū Sen is designed to make two strikes for versatile mobility in the heat of confrontation, Sō Ryū Sen Ikazuchi appears designed with the assumption that the first strike will be blocked and uses the full combined mass of a sheathed sword to strike to catch foes off guard and unbalance them, making them vulnerable for the second strike.

*BAM*

And without any form to counterattack or dodge, Raiden takes the full blow of the second strike to his head and chest. Luckily for him, Hiko Seijūrō XVIII intentionally turned his blade to strike with the blunt end, but it still deprived Raiden of air in his lungs because of how that second strike made contact with his chest.

Raiden falls back on the ground harder than before, making a small crater while Hiko, like before, lands gracefully on both feet.

"You think you can just learn the final teachings of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū in that condition with that mindset?!" asked an angered Hiko. "You really are the worst student I ever taught! Not even my own daughter – your girlfriend – would act that way whenever she held up a sword! The Orimura boy, maybe. But never her!"

That hurt Raiden's heart more than the blow he received nor the painful landing he endured. But he knew Hiko to be right. Not even Houki would be this desperate to learn something, having learned that lesson from the Silver Gospel incident last semester. Ichika probably would be in the same boat as Raiden if the Orimura boy was in his shoes. After all, all of the outcomes of the battles he has fought in were boiled down to luck, not by skill of his own admission.

"First, fight a round with me and land a blow," Hiko offered. "Then I'll teach it to you."

But he sees how Raiden was struggling to stand. "Hey, what's wrong? I deliberately hit you with the flat. If my blade was turned, you'd be dead already."

But Raiden soon stands and faces his master with blood trickling down his head. He allows it to flow freely, not letting it be a distraction.

And Hiko smirks at the willpower, seeing the silver lion stand up to the black lion. A wounded animal is the most frightening animal and while Hiko, the black lion, is still the king of the safari metaphorically speaking, Raiden, the silver lion, is determined to prove himself the successor.

'Unlike his skills, his gaze hasn't dulled at all. Just like when I taught him Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū…'

"Get up. That was just a warm-up," Hiko confidently proclaimed. "You've got some hard training coming up…. especially if you want my approval of you being in a relationship with my daughter."

That last statement made Raiden perk up. "Oro?"

"Nothing!" Hiko quickly stamped out without delay. "Come on and fight me!"

"Huh?"

"Like you said, there's no time. You keep fussing like that and you won't be in time to save those friends of yours."

Raiden roars and charges in once again, clashing his sakabatō with his master's katana. This was going to be a long night for him in the end.

OP song: Suara – Hikari (For reference, look up on YouTube Utawarerumono Futari no Hakuoro trailer)

Kimi e no omoi wasurenai you ni (The first scene begins with a pair of hands grasping a red and black ribbon divided by a white line adorned with a pair of gold and silver bells. The camera soon pans out to show the said person grasping that ribbon)

mune fukaku kizamikomu kara (The person holding the ribbon is revealed to be Houki, underwater and in her IS suit as she closes her eyes, keeping the ribbon, revealed to be Akatsubaki in its standby form, close to her heart before the bubbles cover the screen)

(Opening title is introduced as Infinite Stratos 2)

Arifureta hibi wo tobikoete yukeru (Chifuyu watches from the balcony of the IS Academy the sunrise before a gentle wind blows her hair.)

habataku yuuki wo motteru (The sun's ray hits her eyes before she adjusts her sight)

Mada minu sekai ni tobidashite yukeba (Tabane Shinonono travels via a carrot-shaped airplane, colored in orange with a green tip, as it travels across the skies and she heads towards the moon)

nanika ga kitto matteiru (The camera pans over to the moon before it shifts down to Houki in her IS Akatsubaki, facing forward as her hair is blown by the wind)

Tamerau hodo no kizu wo oottemo (A blue meteor-like object falls to the arena of the IS Academy, creating an explosion of water, before revealing Tatenashi Sarashiki in her IS, Mysterious Lady, as she twirls her spear as the lake water falls like rain)

akiramenaide subete ukeireyou (Kanzashi Sarashiki appears in a holographic world in her IS, Uchigane Nishiki, while holographic data surrounds her)

Kimi e no omoi wasurenai you ni (Camera zooms down to a battlefield just beginning between IS Golems and the gang. Laura is the first to attack as she descends and slices a Golem with her wrist blades before using her cables followed by her rail gun. Rin parries a Golem with her Souten Gagetsu before taking off its head in a spin)

mune no naka fukaku kizamitsukeru (Ichika appears to take out one Golem before he dodges an incoming attack and dismantles another. The next scene cuts to Charlotte and Cecilia prepping their sniper rifles to fire.)

mezasu mirai wo yasashiku terashite (Raiden and Madoka, without their IS, engage in a close quarters weapon combat, Raiden using the Sakabatō and Madoka using the Mugenjin. After a couple of hits, Raiden is thrown high into the air from another hit from Madoka before he backflips and deploys his IS and fires his ion blasters at Madoka. Madoka, in turn, dodges while activating her IS, Black Knight, and flies up to Raiden to engage him again with her fusion cannon on her right arm deployed)

hikari hanatsu hoshi no you ni (Madoka and Raiden clash, creating a violent explosion before the next scene switches over to Luxembourg ten years ago, where Hitokiri Kingslayer stands by the steps to the destroyed Royal Palace, his back to the camera as Luxembourg is enshrouded in flames by Phantom Task, with a massive warship looming overhead as its IS pilots are deployed like a squad of fighters)

(Miriam Walker is shown in front of the CIA headquarters building in Washington DC as the camera moves upwards. Akane Fujimoto is shown on Omega, overlooking one of the poor districts from her apartment, with a cigarette in her mouth. Squall Meusel is shown in her bath robe sitting on the edge of her bed smirking at the camera, with Autumn sleeping naked in the background. Edea Crownsworth, the Archon of Phantom Task, sits upon her throne overlooking the world within a spaceship. Chifuyu is then shown in the deep recesses of the Academy, looking at the White Knight IS kept in storage and locked down, her hand on the glass)

(Raiden is shown next as he turns around with his Sakabatō before sheathing it before he is replaced with the title of Infinite Stratos 2.)

Morning breaks in on the third day for Raiden and Hiko Seijūrō XVIII. The retraining process has, according to the latter, been going better than Hiko feared, but worse than he'd hoped. On one hand, he is convinced to know that Raiden's skills in Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū are still sharp as ever. But on another hand, Raiden was getting his ass kicked to him. So far in their duels, Hiko won every single duel against his stupid apprentice.

And he was getting tired of all those winnings. Of course, the arrogant and gruff man he was, he would never admit that but nor would he proclaim his ego out loud in response to these winnings. But as he said last night, Raiden was out of practice in Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū and that pissed him off more than any other.

"Hey, how long are you gonna be asleep?" asked Hiko to Raiden.

But the blind lion could only lay on his back and struggle to sit up. The intense pain and training from his master had put a strain on his stamina, and this was just a session of being retrained in Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū. According to his master, Raiden was very rusty and had not been keeping up with his training during their two-year separation.

"Well, if you're not going to wake up. I'll just sit back and keep remembering old times." Hiko takes a drink. "Like the last time you wet your bed, the autumn you were thirteen."

That made Raiden get up quickly and rush to his master to hold his cup of sake down, apparently angry and bashful of remembering a rather embarrassing memory he'd rather forget completely. His breathing becomes irregular like an angry bull, even snorting like he was ready to charge in.

"Or the time you were dreaming so much of Akane in your sleep you were humping your pillow. Hmph, how nostalgic."

"Master!" Raiden called out, while holding down his master's sake cup with both hands as he was trying to drink.

"Oh? You're awake now? It's okay, you can go ahead and rest some more."

"I'm alright, that I am!" Raiden insisted, not wanting to remember more embarrassing moments.

But now it was the blind lion's turn to burn his master as he turns around while Hiko stands up. "Hiko Seijūrō XVIII, the eighteenth master of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū. His skill is without match and his teachings are indeed effective. However, he is a sly bastard, that he is."

*SNAP*

"Oi…" Hiko calls out.

"He's insensitive to other people's feelings."

*SNAP*

"Oi," Hiko calls out.

"He's misanthropic and brusque."

*SNAP*

"Oi!" Hiko calls out.

"He's so bad-mannered that he's willing to speak about things that even the person in question has forgotten and does not want to hear. He truly is the worst, that he is."

"What are you going on about?" asked an annoyed Hiko. "For days now, I've been retraining my stupid apprentice because he asked himself out of his apprenticeship in the first place! Don't expect another master to give you the same courtesy I have! Not even the Brunhilde could show you the level of kindness I've given!"

The master soon rolls his shoulders backwards to adjust himself. "But I'm rather bored of it now. If you can't land a strike on me in this next round, then consider your training over. And with it, the opportunity to learn the final techniques."

A dire dilemma. Raiden had not been able to land a single blow on his master for the past two days. And already the frustration within him was boiling. While he knew two years of not being trained further in Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū had made his swordsmanship incomplete, he did not expect himself to be at the end of the stick every time he dueled with his master.

Hiko Seijūrō XVIII's sword skills have not dampened at all while living his life as a potter. Raiden knew this, for in spite of perhaps being the strongest fighter in the IS Academy alongside Tatenashi and Chifuyu, he pales before his master.

'Cheap and clever tricks won't work on Master. If this is indeed the last chance, I will have to resort to my next strike with all my heart and soul!'

With that cemented in his mind, Raiden prepares himself.

"Let's do this," said Raiden.

"Yes," Hiko nods.

Raiden jumps high up first to the very top of the waterfall, with Hiko Seijūrō XVIII following behind shortly afterwards. Both will utilize Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū in this next strike. The question merely is who will come out from this last strike?

Will it be Raiden, the student who left his master's teachings for two years? Or will it be Hiko Seijūrō XVIII, the father of Houki Shinonono and master of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū?

Raiden soon comes down with Ryū Tsui Sen while Hiko responds with Ryū Shō Sen. Both lions, one silver and one black, roar as they meet in the middle point of the waterfall's edge.

*BANG*

Together, their two swords clash together and a shockwave of energy bursts outwards, with the water from the waterfall splashing around in reaction to the shockwave.

FLASHBACK BEGINS…

Four years ago, while still living in his current residence with Miyuki in Kyoto, Hiko Seijūrō XVIII was working on forming another clay pot. Using his hands, he forms the shape of the wet clay as it spins on its wheel at a relatively slow speed.

Living far from his daughters was not all that bad. Houki had just started to live on her own and was under Yukiko's care at the Shinonono Shrine. And Tabane was in hiding all on her own, so Hiko didn't have any problem worrying.

All he was worried about now were trespassers to his home. The wildlife that surrounded his home were one thing, but actual people were another. Luckily for him, he and his wife don't get many visitors, which allowed the potter to work on perfecting his newfound craft.

Why pottery? Aside from getting away from the annoyance that is society, Hiko did not want to stick to just swordsmanship. After all, he had already perfected the techniques of Kamiya Kasshin-ryū and was secretly the 18th successor of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū. For the former, he left the charge of the dojo to Houki, knowing that she would inherit it one day. But for the latter, he had yet to find a student worthy of taking up the mantle.

And pottery seemed to be a good choice for him to pass the time. It was simple and easy to make with just the right ingredients. And there were plenty all around him. All he needed to do next was build a kiln by hand, which did not take long to do. Very soon, he started to make his pottery by hand and what became a hobby soon became a business. Thanks to Miyuki, and in part because of her insistence at the expense of his stubbornness, his pots have been selling out on the market and the income that came from it has been increasing at an exponentially fast rate.

Of course, to ensure he was not exposed to the world because of his daughters, he remained anonymous. And the establishment name his wife had been managing could not afford itself to have the last name Shinonono nor have the last name be Seijūrō so as to not insult Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū. So, he came up with the name of Ni'itsu Kakunoshin, which was met with approval by his wife.

It took a long time for him to adjust to his new lifestyle, but he was not complaining so much about it. So long as he was left alone to his pots with his wife, he seemed happy enough as is. Though a small part of him does wish to continue teaching swordsmanship, a task that is now left to his youngest daughter.

Fate, however, seems to be in his favor.

Soon, he heard footsteps. Footsteps that sounded like the steps of a United States Marine. They were precise, sharp, and each echoed with a loud step on the soil. Hiko didn't need to turn around to see who it was, knowing that the figure approaching him from behind was a tall and attractive woman, who usually wore her dark blue hair in a ponytail. Her usual attire consists of an A-shirt that is white at the piece at the back of her neck to the top of her breasts. She also wore black pants and black boots. She has been seen wearing her blue jacket over her shoulders and carrying a cigarette in her mouth.

"I thought I told you are not cut out for using a katana," Hiko Seijūrō XVIII greeted grimly without turning around.

Akane was unconcerned as she stopped walking. "I haven't forgotten. And I'm not here for that."

"Then why are you here, Fujimoto?"

"I got someone I think you might be interested in training."

Hiko turns around to see Akane, who did not come alone. To her left and clinging onto her leg was a young boy. Feeling curious, Hiko stands up from his log and walks towards the duo before stopping.

Hiko looks at the young boy before him. He looked like a twelve-year old boy but the interesting thing that stood out was his blindfold. His silver hair was short, like a lion's mane. He anxiously clings to Akane's leg like a scared child.

But he was not impressed. "Seriously? A blind boy wearing a blindfold? Is this a new joke?"

Akane smirks as she lets out a puff from her cigarette. "Don't be fooled by his appearance. What he lacks in sight he makes up for in hearing and smell. And besides, who else could've killed the king and queen of Luxembourg years ago other than this former assassin here?"

That got Hiko's attention. "You mean…"

"Yep. This is the infamous Hitokiri Kingslayer. Once feared around the world, now cast off by his handlers. He's been in rehab with me since I found him months ago."

"Hmph. I don't know whether to call you a stupid idiot or a delusional fool for taking him in. But what makes you think he won't backstab you next?"

"Oh, no need to worry. He won't comply with something unless commanded to. I've been trying to break that mindset and give him some free will and figured you should have a hand in it as well."

"And why should I?"

"You've seen his swordsman aura, right?" asked Akane as she looks at the boy and pats his head. "He's got potential. He's just been mistreated and taught in a bad way. I can't fix that because I'm more a Marine than a samurai, but you can. Show him another way of fighting that does not involve killing. And trust me when I say that I have heard of him say he has grown tired of killing and wants to protect weak people. Hell, he even buried some of the men I killed during my hunting trips with him. So why not take him as your pupil in Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū and show him the ropes, yeah? Or would you rather be remembered as the last user of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū?"

Now that reason was enough to convince Hiko. Perhaps a small part of him felt intrigued by what Akane had just said. Indeed, Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū is a sword style meant to protect those less fortunate and not to be in the service of others out of fear of abusing its power for ill or otherwise. And Hiko Seijūrō XVIII had not taken in an apprentice as of yet. Nor would he ever teach someone like his youngest daughter, Houki.

Walking over, he looks down to look at the face of the blind boy who moves his face upwards for Hiko to see.

"What is your name, boy?" He asked.

"Raiden," The boy answers.

"Raiden, huh? That's no name fitting for a swordsman. But regardless, I will teach you all I know. In Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū."

From that point on, a relationship between master and student was formed.

FLASHBACK ENDS…

Raiden was on his back, unconscious and recalling in his mind a memory from when he first met Hiko Seijūrō XVIII four years ago. Back then, he had just been rescued and taken in by Akane Fujimoto, who found him in the cellars of Squall's mansion long ago. Alongside Miriam Walker, Akane burdened herself with the responsibility of looking after Raiden's well-being while also continuing her life as a CIA agent. With Miriam's help, she helped to hide Raiden from their employers as they would want to have the Kingslayer captured and killed.

Akane could not take that chance, having looked upon him for the first time and feeling sympathetic for the boy. So, she took the boy in secret and decided to raise him and help recover from his trauma. Miriam was against it at first as she felt putting the boy down was a better option for national security reasons and felt Raiden had endured too much at Phantom Task's hands. But soon enough, she started to understand why Akane took him in and accepted the decision so Miriam, as Akane's handler, had done everything she could to wipe Raiden off the records so he can be raised in secret by Akane.

It was one of the more pleasant memories from his childhood with Akane. Something he wished he could continue living in.

"Oi… Wake up, you idiot," Hiko called out. "Or are you going to sleep all day?"

Raiden stirs from his slumber as his vision clears up. And he could sense just how close his master was because he was on his knees and his face was a little too close for comfort.

But Raiden was surprised and scared seeing his master up close.

"Uwagh—"

*BONK*

And because he rapidly sat up, his forehead smashes into Hiko's, causing terrible head pain. Both master and student clutch their heads, but the former was not so much in immense pain but rather felt annoyed at his student's stupidity.

"Because you struck with the full force of your body using all your heart and soul, you didn't plan out your landing right and ended up with a concussion," Hiko said while still clutching his head. "Ow… that hurt, you idiot!"

On the upside though, Hiko brings up his right sleeve to show something. "But even if you hadn't tried, you could have never landed a good hit on me like this. Not even in ten years. It's not perfect nor pretty, but you can't change the fact that it was a successful hit."

To prove his point, Hiko revealed a slashed mark to his right sleeve. Despite the master of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū countering with Ryū Shō Sen, Raiden's Ryū Tsui Sen managed to pierce through Hiko's defenses and make its mark. And Raiden had given his all into that strike without faltering and without hesitation.

And that was enough to convince Hiko Seijūrō XVIII of where his student, once rusty in the past few days of retraining him, now stands with him.

"As promised, I will pass down to you the final teachings of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū. Let's head back and get started on it right away."

In Raiden's mind, he felt humbled upon finally getting to know the final teachings. But a part of him felt relieved that he was finally going to learn this. And complete his training after delaying it for two years.

BACK AT THE SHINONONO RESIDENCE…

"Alright, don't try to move if you want to live. Stay still and pay close attention," Hiko instructed to Raiden.

Raiden does so, yet he cannot help but wonder why he should just stand in front of Hiko Seijūrō XVIII, with his master drawing out his katana and getting into a Chūdan-no-kamae stance.

"First, a review…" Hiko began. "There are nine areas to strike in Kenjutsu. Karatake (head), Kesagiri (left shoulder diagonally), Sakagesa (right shoulder diagonally), Hidarinagi (left side), Miginagi (right side), Hidarikiriage (left wrist diagonally), Migikiriage (right wrist diagonally), Sakakaze (groin), and finally, Tsuki (chest). No matter what attack of what style, the actual cut is none other than one of these nine. The natural defensive stance is designed based on these nine strikes. However…"

Suddenly, and without warning…

*FWIISSH*

Hiko Seijūrō XVIII suddenly dashes past Raiden and executes all nine strikes simultaneously. Raiden only had a brief amount of time to observe what his master just did but in that moment, he could feel all nine strikes executed.

And all nine areas of Raiden were cut, as evidenced by his body taking just a tiny fraction of the hit. His robes each had a slash mark in appropriate places, a small strand of his hair was severed up top, and a small cut of blood was even present on his chest.

"Using the godlike speed of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū to its full advantage, you can strike all nine attacks simultaneously. This makes parrying or dodging impossible! This is Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū – Kuzu Ryū Sen."

Hiko then stands up and places his katana on his shoulder as he turns to face Raiden's back. "And I admit that this is the technique I am most perfected at."

Raiden could not deny his master's claim.

'It's true. Parrying or dodging it is impossible. I couldn't even move at all. This is the… ōgi!'

An annoyed Hiko calls out to Raiden's internal thinking. "Oi… Oi! Don't just stand there and give it a try."

But that made Raiden turn around in surprise. "What? Just like that? Out of nowhere you want me to perform it?!"

Hiko groans, "Jeez, were you daydreaming or what, Raiden?"

"But, Master…"

"You can't learn these techniques just by studying footwork or observing battles. It's when you get hit once and feel the full force that you learn under pressure. That's how we've always been training, remember?"

That made Raiden suddenly realize Hiko was right. During his days training years ago, every technique Raiden learned in Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū always started off with feeling the full effects of its force landed by his master. By experiencing the pain of the technique first before learning the actual technique, Raiden was able to get a sense of how the strikes were executed and in the manner in which to do so.

Still though, it did not mean it left Raiden traumatized and rather depressed. He could remember how he was hit by Ryū Shō Sen, Ryū Tsui Sen, and Ryū Kan Sen. The first strike hitting his chin, the second his head, and the third that sent him spinning like a cyclone in place.

"Right… I can't believe I managed to make it through all that."

"Well, that's because it was thanks to my expert control that you were able to pull through," A haughty and amused Hiko chuckled.

Humor aside, Hiko reverts to his usual serious tone. "If you understand that, try and hit me with it. At full strength."

Raiden draws out his sakabatō and takes his stance, facing his master. As Hiko said, getting hit once by any technique in Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū would allow Raiden to fully understand and practice the technique. And most of the time, Raiden would succeed in mastering these techniques in such a short amount of time.

'It's true that I couldn't move at all, but it wasn't that I couldn't see it.'

Flashing his mind back to Hiko's demonstration allowed Raiden to quickly analyze and imagine where each strike at landed.

'I was able to detect how all nine were carried out.'

Finally understanding what it takes to execute this move, Raiden steels himself and grips his sakabatō.

"Here I go… Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū – Kuzu Ryū Sen!"

Charging forward, Raiden executes all nine strikes simultaneously. Hiko in turn responds to the same move with his Kuzu Ryū Sen. And all eighteen attacks landed on both combatants.

But as master and student dash past one another, Raiden collapses at the end. He felt the full force of Hiko's Kuzu Ryū Sen and he was absolutely certain he felt the sakabatō make contact with his master. But the fact remains that he lost that clash of blades.

'Impossible. I hit all the points. It was the same Kuzu Ryū Sen, yet I lost the match.'

As Raiden stands himself up, he begins to wonder out loud, "Is my Kuzu Ryū Sen imperfect?"

"No, it was perfect…" Hiko noted as he looks back. "However, even though the attack is the same, the power changes if the user changes. A multiple-hit attack requires arm strength, just as a charging attack requires weight. But compared to me, you seriously lack both sets in both categories! In other words, your Kuzu Ryū Sen is no match for my Kuzu Ryū Sen!"

"Then… I can't use the ōgi?" asked a fearful Raiden as he dips his head.

Doubt crept onto Raiden's heart as he grips his left hand, but Hiko anticipated this and provides a piece of advice.

"If there was a technique that could counter my Kuzu Ryū Sen, it would have to be the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū ōgi - Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki."

Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki. Translated, it means Flash of the Heavenly Flying Dragon. A powerful Battōjutsu technique whose secret lies in discovering both the significance and insignificance of one's life, the penultimate requirement needed to master the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū. When drawing the katana, the user moves in a super godlike speed that it is almost impossible to track to the naked eye.

Metaphorically, it represented an eastern dragon and the winds that gust around it. Even if someone who was fighting against it managed to avoid the beast's fangs, the winds that surround it from its movement in the air would pull the opponent towards the dragon and the claws would tear it apart.

It was an ōgi worthy of the name.

"Hang on a minute… ōgi?" asked a surprised Raiden.

An amused Hiko asks, "What are you so surprised about?"

"But you said—"

Raiden recalls his master's words when they were performing Kuzu Ryū Sen earlier. And that is when he realized to his shock…

'Kuzu Ryū Sen – I admit that this is the technique I am most perfected at.'

"Well, there you go. I never said Kuzu Ryū Sen was the ōgi, did I?" said Hiko who correctly guessed what Raiden was thinking.

*DOONG*

That made Raiden embarrassed and depressed. Hiko once again could not help but laugh in amusement.

'That bastard tricked me.'

That was perhaps the most embarrassing moment in Raiden's life.

Returning to his serious persona again, Hiko explains, "Kuzu Ryū Sen was created in the process of creating the ōgi. A penultimate technique that requires it to be learned first before the ōgi. If you can defeat the Kuzu Ryū Sen of the previous master using the ōgi, the teaching in the secrets of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū is complete."

But Raiden was unsure upon hearing that. "But…"

"Think hard about the nature of the Kuzu Ryū Sen you just learned," Hiko interrupted. "If you do, you'll get the general idea of Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki. Remember, Kuzu Ryū Sen is a technique that cannot be dodged nor blocked."

Raiden thinks carefully, analyzing Kuzu Ryū Sen as he recalls the previous clash.

'Kuzu Ryū Sen is a technique that allows no possibility of defense or flight. But if I cannot dodge or block it, then…'

Realizing that there was only one option to counter Kuzu Ryū Sen, Raiden's answer was none other than battōjutsu. Sheathing his sakabatō in its scabbard, he then takes a battōjutsu stance.

Hiko Seijūrō XVIII nods. "Correct. A battōjutsu technique surpassing the speed of Kuzu Ryū Sen is the greater godlike speed of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū. This is the true nature of the ōgi, Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki. A battōjutsu that requires super godlike speed. But the problem for you is that the sakabatō will be a handicap for battōjutsu."

He then asks, "Can you still surpass such divine speed with such an inelegant weapon that is not designed for battōjutsu?"

Breaking out of his battōjutsu stance, Raiden turns his body forward and faces Hiko Seijūrō XVIII, arms at his side and hands gripped into fists like he was preparing to brace himself for an incoming strike. But the master realizes what a daring move his apprentice just made.

"In formless stance with your sword put away, you intend to use Hasui no Jin?" He questions. "Bold, yet foolish."

Hasui no Jin – one who prepares to exhaust all his strength, who cannot recover if he fails.

Raiden acknowledges, "I know. But even so, I do not fear death. Not even in the face of the mastery of the ōgi. I must learn it, no matter the cost to myself."

To prove it, Raiden's aura emerges out from his body. And Raiden could see it for what it was. Behind Raiden's form growled the face of a black lion with red eyes. It stared intently at Hiko's own soul, ready to pounce onto the master who stood his ground.

Hitokiri Kingslayer. The aura that had put intense fear into the hearts of warriors. Gone was the gentle silver lion that was Raiden and replaced with a fierce black lion filled with red eyes to kill. Unlike Hiko's black lion, which was regal yet fierce in its strength, this black lion was born in response to the countless deaths that Hitokiri Kingslayer had committed in the past. Fierce in its strength like Hiko's, but in a way that abused its power for killing purposes.

Any other man would coil in fear and flee upon seeing such a dark and malevolent aura.

But Hiko Seijūrō XVIII, the 18th master of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū and Houki Shinonono's father by the name of Ryuuin Shinonono, was not impressed. Not because he was not afraid of Hitokiri Kingslayer but rather because he was unmoved by its presence.

Lowering his katana, Hiko expresses his disappointment. "Then you really are a foolish apprentice."

"Master?" asked Raiden.

"You cannot master Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki as you are now - as Hitokiri Kingslayer," Hiko said while walking away and back to his home. "I'll give you one night. Search your soul and figure out what you are missing. If you can't find it, not only will you throw away the final secret…"

LATER THAT NIGHT…

'…But I'll throw away my life, right?'

As Raiden sat alone at night with his back against the trunk of a tree, he had a lot to think about.

'I never thought about why I surpassed the others. Not just in swordsmanship but also in my days as Hitokiri Kingslayer. I thought I was a sinner, hiding the true nature of the hitokiri deep in my heart. What is it that I lack…?'

Raiden could not find the answer no matter how hard he was thinking. But it was true that he was able to surpass a great many other students. As Hitokiri Kingslayer, he was the best assassin Phantom Task had ever produced. He accomplished his missions without failure and left a permanent mark of fear in everyone's hearts because his targets of assassination could have been anyone. Politicians, IS pilots, businessmen, journalists, civilians, and more.

And as Hitokiri Kingslayer, he struck a very close friendship to his former partner and best friend, Madoka Orimura. Of everyone in Phantom Task, besides Squall, Madoka was the one he was closest to. They were like siblings despite not being related by blood. They both wanted to create a better world, but they had different methods of accomplishing it.

Now they are bitter enemies who show respect to each other for their strengths and skills. But now they seek the deaths of one or the other.

As for Squall Meusel, Raiden's former mistress who took care of him after his mother was murdered, Raiden didn't hold any hate for her. In fact, a part of him was grateful for being taken care of when she found him. Though her care for him developed into a toxic obsession for him. What went on behind closed doors between him and her, only they know. Yet still, Raiden didn't hold any animosity for her, not even to this day.

But no matter how hard Raiden searched in his mind for answers, it was not Phantom Task that was revealing to him what he lacked to master the final techniques. It had something to do more with himself. Him and him alone. And self-reflection on his soul was not one of Raiden's strong qualities.

Back inside the pottery hut, Hiko sits alone with his cup of sake. At this point in the training, his stupid apprentice had to do some self-reflection on the inner workings of his heart. Hiko had just witnessed the full aura of Hitokiri Kingslayer for the first time, but because of his strong willpower, he was not affected by its presence.

If Raiden was going to learn the final secrets, he needed to make peace with his inner demon first and not try to contain it as he had been doing since he was rescued by Akane. Containment and acceptance were not the same thing in Hiko's mind, yet Akane taught the former to Raiden at a young age.

It was acceptable and fair though considering Raiden was just a small teenager who had been through too much. And before his training in swordsmanship, he first needed to get some humanity back in him, which was Akane's job as his guardian and caretaker. Hiko could not do it, and he certainly would not ask Miyuki to do it either since the two of them have only raised girls.

Speaking of Miyuki, she enters the hut with another jar of sake in hand, unannounced.

"I saw Raiden sitting alone outside," Miyuki noted happily. "You two didn't argue again, did you?"

Hiko did not answer her question. Knowing his wife, she would most likely deduce that was the reason for the pause in training. And she would never argue or try to convince him to get back to the training and be a better teacher. Like she told Houki, she trusted both Hiko and Raiden in what they were doing. She never lost faith in them from the beginning.

Miyuki sits down next to her husband in a seiza position and refills his cup of sake like a servant.

"Do you recall when he first came here with Akane?" she asked with a smile. "She was really insistent you train him. I even approved of it because it had been while since you trained someone in swordsmanship."

Hiko remains silent but his mind recalls back to Akane's reasoning and that first interaction with Raiden as a twelve-year-old boy.

'You've seen his swordsman aura, right? He's got potential. He's just been mistreated and taught in a bad way. I can't fix that because I'm more a Marine than a samurai, but you can. Show him another way of fighting that does not involve killing. And trust me when I say that I have heard of him say he has grown tired of killing and wants to protect weak people. Hell, he even buried some of the men I killed during my hunting trips with him. So why not take him as your pupil in Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū and show him the ropes, yeah? Or would you rather be remembered as the last user of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū?'

'What is your name, boy?'

'Raiden.'

'Raiden, huh? That's no name fitting for a swordsman. But regardless, I will teach you all I know. In Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū.'

As the memory fades, Hiko drinks his cup but Miyuki refills it as she continues to speak her piece of mind.

"He was such a quiet and obedient boy back then, even offering to do house chores whenever he wasn't training with you. It was almost like having a son in the family. And he never complained once about the training you provided and the methods by which you taught him."

"That was four years ago," Hiko finally breaks his silence as he drinks. "And now, whether he masters the technique or not, he'll say farewell to this life tomorrow."

"Ara~, but that doesn't necessarily mean we won't see him again. Maybe we should visit him and Houki and go out together~?"

Hiko grunts in response to that. But his wife continues to giggle and pour his drink, teasing him throughout the night out of earshot from Raiden.

Back at the ryokan, Houki sat alone in her room wearing her yukata while looking out at the night sky and the city of Kyoto. All the lights in the city were on and everyone was out partying with their friends. The students of the Academy were also back at the ryokan, but they were all either enjoying dinner or at the onsen. Houki did not bother to do either activity, not even at the behest of Ichika and the others.

She had a lot on her mind regarding recent events. She had been reunited with her boyfriend, but the reunion felt bitter. Half of Raiden was angry that Houki had come to see him in Kyoto, after saying his goodbyes to her that night and informing him of the danger of Phantom Task in the city. But the other half of him felt relieved to see her again, perhaps as a way to remind him that she was his girlfriend and that he loved her. And while he never denied that Houki was a capable fighter and a strong samurai, she was fragile in mind, constantly worried that Raiden would fall back to his old personality as Hitokiri Kingslayer.

And on top of it all, she was reunited with her parents, Ryuuin and Miyuki Shinonono. Her parents, whom she had not seen in a long time since their separation. But the reunion, like with Raiden, also felt bitter. The revelation that her father was Raiden's teacher in Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū named Hiko Seijūrō XVIII, a secret that only her mother knew.

Speaking of her mother, Miyuki seemed to have had no problem welcoming her daughter back home. As ever, she maintained her kindness and compassion, along with her teasing nature that her older sister, Tabane, inherited. If anything, her mother was more of a fox than her. And one thing Houki knew was that even when angry, her mother maintained her smile. Something even Houki admitted is a lot scarier than her mother with an angry face.

Then came the matter of her father. Houki always respected her father and the roles he had as both Head Priest of the Shinonono Shrine and Master of Kamiya Kasshin-ryū in the Shinonono Dojo. Her father was stern, but he cared dearly for his daughters like any father would. And like Houki, he wouldn't show a lot of emotion when it came to his feelings, having the strong and awesome presence of a samurai. Something she no doubt inherited from him.

But the revelation that her father was Raiden's teacher in Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū was something she had a hard time accepting. While the reasons for secrecy were valid enough, Houki still felt left out in the dark by her parents regarding such knowledge. A small part of her felt betrayed by the fact that her father had a secret student, trained in a different sword style that is not Kamiya Kasshin-ryū.

Her mind goes back to the conversation she had with her father regarding the reasons why she never knew.

"You were Raiden's master in Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū and mine in Kamiya Kasshin-ryū. You had mastered both styles yet kept one of them a secret to ensure only one student can be trained in it."

"Correct."

"Is that why you didn't train me that way? Did you… not think I could handle it?"

"I did not think you should have had to."

To sum up Hiko's response, he felt that given the brutal and demanding training Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū provided, he would not want such teachings to befall onto his daughter. Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū was never meant to be passed down through a family line and continue with that family alone. It was to remain a secret sword style known only from one master to one apprentice, passed to those only who survived its training and prove worthy of succession. And Hiko knew that Houki's path of responsibility laid with Kamiya Kasshin-ryū at their family dojo, not Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū whose path is a lonely one.

All this time, Hiko still displayed concerns for his daughter. And he also wanted her to find her own happiness, even if it meant being with his stupid apprentice Raiden.

The doors to her bedroom open up to reveal Chifuyu wearing her yukata.

"Shinonono!" Chifuyu called out as she entered the room. "You've been in your room since you came back. You should be with the other students having dinner or enjoying the onsen. Even your usual friends are worried about you."

Houki does not turn around to face her teacher, still looking out to the view of Kyoto. Chifuyu sighs in slight annoyance. "Raiden will be fine. Once he learns the final teachings, as you told me, he will come back here immediately."

But doubt crept onto Houki's face. "Yes, but… Stronger and stronger… After all, it's only natural for a swordsman. If he gains the strength of the ōgi, he'll have the advantage against Phantom Task. But on the other hand, he'll be at even greater disadvantage between the rurouni who wore never to kill and the hitokiri that lurks deep inside his heart."

Chifuyu did not deny such a possibility. "Indeed. This battle of wills is something he will have to confront as he learns the final teachings of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū. If I had known that this was one of the reasons he came to Kyoto, along with the fact that his master is your father, I would've let him go in the first place."

Speaking of her father, Houki asks as she turns to face her teacher, "You knew my parents were living here, weren't you?"

Chifuyu nods, "I did."

"And you kept them informed of my life during my time at the Academy."

"I did."

"Then why wasn't I told of it?"

"One reason is to keep you safe from the paparazzi and government at the request of your parents. If there was such constant contact going back and forth, someone would've tracked them down and demand to know of Tabane's whereabouts."

"And the second reason?"

"Raiden. Your father had disclosed to me about Raiden being his student when he was arriving at the Academy. And he did not want anyone to know about it in respect to the philosophy of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū. Not even you."

This made Houki finally realize the truth. "So Raiden knew… that his master in Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū was my father, who was the 18th successor. And I never knew either truth all this time."

This made Chifuyu sympathetic to the younger Shinonono. "Houki, if I wanted to, I could've told you the whole truth from the beginning. But I had to respect your father's wishes and keep him and your mother informed only of your daily life. He would have never wanted his daughter to be burdened with the fact that you were close to one of his students. His successor."

To Houki, a majority of her had accepted such reasons. Despite not caring for Raiden's past, there was so much about him that she did not know. But the reason she did not ask Raiden is because she feared the only memories he had were his Hitokiri Kingslayer days. And the only thing she knew of Raiden that were not of those days were that his training in Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū was incomplete.

And now his past was starting to unveil itself in front of her. It doesn't change much of her love for him, but it does make the current situation revolving around him a lot bigger than she thought it would be.

"Once this is all over, and when the semester ends, I may visit your parents in person again. To give them my teacher's report on your grades and social life."

"Is that so?" asked Houki.

"And I may be requesting your father to teach me in art of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū."

But that statement came out of nowhere. Houki's eyes widened as she turned to face the older Orimura in an expression of surprise and shock.

"Wh-What?" asked the stunned Shinonono. "You want to learn Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū? Why? My father said the training is brutal and unforgivable!"

Chifuyu nods in understanding. "I know. But these recent attacks by Phantom Task have tested the limits of how much I have had to depend on Personal IS pilots, including my little brother, to hold them of while I see to the safety of the students. I can no longer just sit behind and let you guys do all the work. Plus, it'll be a good way for me to brush up on my kenjutsu."

"Are those your only reasons?" asked Houki. "Father said Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū is only meant to be passed down from one person to another and not to be taught to others so lightly."

"Yes. And should I master the teachings, I would have to become the 19th successor bearing the name Hiko Seijūrō. Records are vague on female successors, but they have known to exist in the past."

"You're willing to take up the mantle? Be my father's successor?" asked Houki.

"I know the risks and dangers that come with such a responsibility. But then again, I have had worst burdens, like trying to raise my little brother since he was a small child."

Houki didn't deny that fact. As far as she knew from Ichika, he and his older sister had been the only family since their parents abandoned them long ago. Chifuyu had to bear the responsibility of being Ichika's parent and continues to be that parent even today. And she was willing to continue bearing such responsibility until Ichika was old enough, discarding her chance at happiness for his first.

"Now get some rest," Chifuyu requested as she takes her leave. "Raiden will be back soon. Have faith in him as you always have."

Houki accepted her teacher's order as she tucked herself to sleep. But still, she turns her head to the right and looks out to the night sky. Even as sleep took over, she still worries in her heart for her boyfriend.

'Raiden… please come back soon.'

NEXT MORNING…

Raiden and Hiko Seijūrō XVIII stood in the middle of an empty field, far from the Shinonono residence.

Today was the day where Raiden will make a choice. Master the ōgi of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū, Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki, or die here and now as an incomplete and failed student of the teachings.

"Couldn't sleep last night, I take it?" Hiko asked as he observes the state of his apprentice.

But Raiden replies back, "Same for you, it seems."

Hiko gives a small smirk, as evident in his eyes that he did not get much sleep. But this did not deter him from his cognitive senses nor his line of sight.

"So, did you find out what it was you lacked?" Hiko asks.

Raiden shakes his head. "No."

"I see. So here you are, a man with limits, unable to figure out what it was you lacked," Hiko soon begins to roll his shoulders backwards, which in reality he was preparing to remove the large white cloak he was wearing. "As incomplete as you are, mastering the succession technique and defeating Phantom Task are both meaningless. Even if you devoted yourself to defeating them, you could never defeat the hitokiri which lies deep inside your heart! Tormented by anguish and pain your entire life, you drown yourself in the blood of your victims."

With those words said, Hiko unveils himself. "Prepare yourself, for this is my final duty as your master… Raiden!"

Revealing his true physique for the first time, Hiko's arm muscles were massive. Like those of a bodybuilder. And they emanated off such strength that when he drew his katana, the air blew strong and heavy past Raiden.

It turns out that the cloak Hiko wore was not just for show as he explains, "A white cloak comprised of several heavy materials that weigh down the wearer, as well as counter-springs in the shoulders that constantly apply a pressure of roughly 200lbs. It's been used by all those who bear the name Hiko Seijūrō since the beginning. It is used to restrain the powers of the successor of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū in times of peace."

Raiden could feel the aura emanating from his master. And he finally understood that while wearing the white cloak, Hiko was holding back his true power. Now, with that cloak finally off, the black lion reveals his true regal presence, a strength so terrifying that it would make all animals in the wild submit.

'This is the first time I've seen him. This is the real Hiko Seijūrō.'

And because he was facing this new form for the first time, Raiden noticed his left hand twitching uncontrollably.

'My hand… is shaking!? Am I scared of Hiko Seijūrō? Or of the death I can so easily see clear behind him?'

Clenching his left fist to forcibly stop the shaking, Raiden steels himself. Sweat pours down his face as his master comes closer to him.

'I'm not afraid to die. I've been prepared to die since I became Hitokiri Kingslayer! Even if it costs me my life, I will learn the ōgi! But… why do I fear death?'

Hiko soon stops walking and stares down at his student. And then, he prepares himself to unleash the technique he is most experienced at.

"Let's do this…" Hiko roared. "Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū - Kuzu Ryū Sen!"

Hiko charges in, still bearing the intent to kill his former apprentice. Raiden could not flee from the aura. He had to stand his ground or risk being killed. Lions do not flee from danger, whatever it is. As kings of the safari, they fight and hold the line for their pride!

Roaring to challenge his master, the silver lion makes his stand. But as he does so, he recalls back to his childhood with Akane. Of the many peaceful and relaxing days he had with her. Where it was just the two of them and nothing more.

But there was one thing that never left his mind. Something Akane told him long ago.

"Listen. You're you, Raiden, and that's the end of it. Nothing more, nothing less. Sure, you're a killer, and a real bastard at that. Anyone would hate you if they knew that about you... But you're fine just the way you are. I don't care who hates you. I need you as you are now, as my pup. No one loves you more than I do, kid... So at least until you're older – when you've figured out how to choose the way you want to live your own life - Live for the sake of those you cherish: live for my sake. That way, you won't have to acknowledge any more than that.'

Strong powerful words made Raiden stop in realization. Time suddenly stopped for him but it was in a brief instant. And the faces of those he knew, those he wished to protect from harm, flashed into his mind. All of them ranging from the faces of Akane, Miriam Walker, the IS Academy students and teachers, and even the allies at FEISAR.

'I… I still…'

Finally, Raiden heard Houki cry out to him in his mind.

'Raiden!'

And then, there it was. The imminent approach and fear of death that was just millimeters away from taking him out. Like the scythe was ready to cut him down.

Roaring in defiance of the fear and death, Raiden draws the sakabatō.

*PANG*

And makes the strike against Hiko Seijūrō's Kuzu Ryū Sen.

The two lions who pounced stood still past one another. Time seemed to have either slowed down or stopped completely. The air around them was quiet and there was not even a whisper of noise from the wildlife, not even that of insects.

But the technique had been executed perfectly. Raiden made his mark on Hiko's body as evident by the deep dent on his chest.

For the first time, he pulled off Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū ōgi - Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki.

"Yes…" Hiko praised. "That's correct. Because you have slain so many people, you've held such remorse and developed a sense of guilt. Hence you did not value your own life. This held back your own strength and allowed the Kingslayer to live on inside your heart. Even using the power of a hitokiri who sacrifices himself to protect those that you love or the weak, it is only a moment in the long, continuous strands of time. When you surmounted this, you discovered in-between the will to live… is what you lacked."

Hiko soon stands up from his position upright. But despite looking fine from the back, he did not turn around to face his student just yet.

"The will to live… is essential. Live on, Raiden. That way, you can use Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki as you please. And you won't again lose yourself to the hitokiri inside you…"

Hiko soon comes to the realization of his wound and how it was taking all his strength to stay awake and upright. And unfortunately, Raiden got wind of this but Hiko was not bothered by the outcome of the duel.

"Don't worry…" Hiko reassured. "This is the fate between a master and an apprentice of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryū. I mastered Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki at the cost of my master's life, as the cycle has always played out before. Think of this event as removed from your vow to never kill anyone again."

And with that said, Hiko Seijūrō, the eighteenth master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryū, master of Kamiya Kasshin-ryū, father of Houki and Tabane Shinonono by the name of Ryuuin Shinonono, collapses in front of Raiden onto his back. This makes Raiden turn to find in shock his own master with a gaping wound on his body.

And he was not breathing.

"Master!" cried Raiden as he rushes to him in panic.

LATER AT DUSK…

"That will be 300 yen, please."

The store clerk gave Ichika two dango sticks served on a skewer covered in sesame seed paste. Ichika placed the money to the clerk, giving thanks. Ichika enjoyed the dumpling and sweet mixed together, and the seed paste made it even better. The store clerk smiled at Ichika before they parted away.

"Hey there, Orimu!" Honne Nohotoke, in her rental kimono, called out to Ichika while running towards him at a leisurely pace.

"Umm, Nohohon-san? What are you doing?"

"Help me, I'm being chased by Kan-chan~!" Honne exclaimed in her usual sleepy voice. But it didn't really look like she was being chased. If anything, it was more like she was luring Kanzashi out.

"W-wait up, please!" Kanzashi panted from keeping up with Honne. She too was wearing a kimono of her own in blue, along with the beautiful flower design pattern decorated on the silk.

"Kanzashi, what's up with the kimono?" Ichika asked.

"Ichika?" Kanzashi blushed. "Umm, it wasn't my idea, I got it because everyone else said I should wear one. I didn't want to, but you know."

Ichika smiled at her cute appearance. "You look absolutely beautiful in it, Kanzashi."

"You think so?"

"Of course!"

A big blush brightens up on the young Sarashiki's face. Given a compliment by her crush is something she is not used to hearing. And like any high school girl, she felt her chest tighten up at the praise. Of course, she knew that when Ichika said those words, it was hard to tell whether it was genuine or just a simple compliment.

Kanzashi, however, sees something on Ichika's right wrist. "Umm, Ichika? Is your IS glowing?"

"Huh?"

Looking at his right wrist, Ichika could see that it was indeed glowing. In fact, when he held it up high and in a certain direction, he saw that it was glowing brighter for one moment.

"That's odd. I've never seen it like this."

"Me neither. Maybe it's—"

*ZIING*

However, Ichika's senses soon kicked in. He gasps loudly, dropping his dango in the process. And his expression quickly turned from confusion to realization, like he either forgot or discovered something. And then, out of nowhere, he takes off running.

"Kanzashi, I got to run for now!" Ichika said in a hurry, but this surprises the girl in question.

"Wha—Ichika, where are you going?" asked the startled girl.

"I'll be right back! Just don't go anywhere!"

"Ah, wait!" Kanzashi reaches out but Ichika was now too far for him to hear her. And she stood there puzzled while Honne comes back to her with lots of dango sticks in her hands.

"Hmm? Where did Orimu go?" asked a head tilting Honne.

As Ichika runs and heads down into the city of Kyoto, guided by the white glow of his IS on his right wrist, he begins to organize his thoughts. Sweat pours down his face not because of the running, but because of his mind flashing back to that day of the 2nd Mondo Grosso Tournament.

'This bad feeling… Why did it suddenly appear here in Kyoto?! It feels so old but… it was like the same one five years ago when I was kidnapped by Phantom Task!'

Ichika soon finds himself in a sea of people walking around the Gion district. However, thanks to his IS bracelet glowing brighter, he follows the light shining in the direction it was pointing at the brightest. He was in the correct district, but now it was just a matter of finding the source. Trudging through the crowd, he manages to squeeze and slither himself between the moving masses. But the closer he got to the source, the more that bad feeling inside of him grew, like an old wound from a past he had no pleasure recalling.

Finally, he sees someone with semi-long black hair in front of him, her back turned to him. And the glow on his bracelet shined at its brightest at the woman, indicating how she stood out from everyone else around.

'That presence! It… It's strong and it's here!'

He rushes forward and then grabs the left shoulder of the woman in front of him with his right hand. The woman turns around and looks at Ichika right in the eye, confused and wondering who had touched her.

The young lady in question had defined facial features, such as her small nose, long eyebrows, and fair complexion. She had large dark red eyes with circular white pupils and a small mouth, with long black hair that was tied up in a traditional Japanese chignon style. She was wearing a traditional black kimono with red chrysanthemum flower markings.

But Ichika knew this really was. Despite the disguise she wore, he could sense the identity of this woman given of her intense aura and the description his sister gave long ago. And the fact that his IS bracelet was glowing at its brightest in the direct proximity of the woman's presence.

'It's her! The Archon, Edea Crownsworth!'

As Ichika prepares to deploy his IS, illegal as it was to do so in public, an innocent voice stops him.

"Mommy?" asked the voice of a little girl.

Edea then shifts herself to show a little girl no more than five years of age that was revealed in her arms. But the worst part was not the fact that Edea was holding a child.

But rather the child's face looked exactly like Chifuyu's. And Madoka's.

"Who's that?" The child asked innocently.

And the sight of it shook Ichika to the point where he became pale with horror. Seeing his older sister's most hated enemy holding a child with the exact face as the Brunhilde. He could not tell which possibility was worse: whether it was a mockery or an actual clone with Chifuyu's face.

'She—She is carrying a child with… Chifuyu-nee's face on it?!'

"Pardon me, young man, but did you need something from me?" asked Edea calmly with a smile. "You seem quite distressed of seeing me."

Despite her serene gesture though, Edea knew who the person in front of him was. And within her heart, she was seething with anger and hatred of seeing the little brother of her worst enemy. And the fact that he was able to track her down despite her disguise amongst the populace that no ordinary eye would be aware of. However, a small part of her felt satisfied seeing the current expression on his face when looking at her daughter, who had Chifuyu's face on it.

A male voice soon calls out to Edea up front. "Amelia honey, are you alright?"

The man was of a strong figure whose orange and red hair were tied up in a chonmage hairstyle, becoming redder near the ends of the strands. He has fair skin with some facial hair, bushy black eyebrows, and bright, orange eyes with red pupils. Like Edea, he was wearing a traditional black kimono but without any chrysanthemum flower markings.

But Ichika was shocked at seeing the Archon in disguise living among humans. And with family. Whether she was actually married or playing along with the two members, he could not say. And she didn't go by her real name either, but a fake one.

'Wh-What the hell is this!? Do they not know who this is? This is the Archon, Chifuyu-nee's worst enemy! And she is holding a child with her face on it!'

"I'm sorry, lad, but did you need something from my wife?" asked the husband.

Edea however lays it off. "It's alright, Alastair. He must've mistaken me for someone else given of his startling reaction."

And with a small snap of her fingers stealthily held by her side…

*BOOM*

An SUV suddenly crashes into a building nearby. It grabs everyone's attention, including Ichika's, as he snaps out of his dilemma and sees the crash. Immediately, both he and law enforcement officers rush in to help the driver and assess the situation. Ichika however goes in to see that the driver was, somehow passed out.

But that's when he saw that there was blood on the back of his neck. A bullet had somehow managed to pierce the driver side window and graze the neck without killing the driver. No ordinary shooter could fire that accurately unless it was some sort of sniper with a silencer scope. But it was enough for the driver to get distracted and swerve off the road and crash into the building unintentionally.

But as Ichika was distracted helping the driver out the SUV, Edea takes this chance to flee.

"Alastair…" Edea addressed her orange-haired husband in concern. "It's too dangerous here. We should leave and head to the other side of the district."

Alistair anxiously agreed. "R-Right. Yeah, let's get out of here."

But Ichika, while he was rescuing the driver, shouted back into the crowd in Edea's direction. "You won't get away with this, Edea! I will find you and make you pay! You hear me?!"

Alastair was confused though, upon hearing Ichika's retort. "What's the matter with that kid? And what problem does he have with you, Amelia?"

Edea responds plainly, "Not sure. But we should leave, quickly."

Edea and Alistair soon take their leave, turning their backs as they disappear into the crowd.

However, Ichika keeps shouting into the crowd as he pulls the driver out, his eyes still on Edea. "You coward! Run all you want! I will find you and make you pay for what you did to me and my sister five years ago! Do you hear me?!"

Edea and her family make their getaway but the Archon in disguise heard every word Ichika said. And deep beneath her calm composure, she was furious from his taunts and how she underestimated the young Orimura.

Not only that, but she was also furious that her disguise had failed. While it hid her from much of the populace, including the authorities, it could not hide her from Ichika. And now with her husband and daughter exposed, she will have to take extreme measures to ensure that they are not discovered and hunted down to be used as a bargain. All she wanted to do was spend time with her family but that was no longer an option.

And that realization made her boil with anger.

LATER…

Edea and her small family had called in a taxi to leave Kyoto. But unfortunately for the Archon, the recent turn of events upon seeing Ichika forced her to make a heavy decision. One she wished she did not have to make.

"You're not coming with us, Mommy?" asked the little girl.

"No, my little Aya," Edea sadly confirmed while still holding her Chifuyu lookalike daughter named Aya. "I just received an emergency message from my company, so we are setting up a meeting. Plus, I am more worried about what just happened back there."

"Amelia, honey… are you sure?" asked Alastair.

"Not to worry," Edea smiles while looking at Alastair and kissing his cheek. "I'm just going down to check in with the police and speak to my co-workers. I'll be back by the morning. Now hop in."

Alastair and his daughter, Aya, get in the taxi with the help of Edea, with the latter looking out the window to see her mother.

"Promise you'll come home soon, okay, Mommy?" she asked.

"I will," Edea answered as she kissed her daughter's forehead before patting her head. "Be a good girl for daddy now." Edea then turns to the taxi driver. "Take them back to the house. Quickly please."

Once Edea sees the taxi off, she walks down the street before turning right into an alleyway. Then, in the blink of an eye, her form changes into a purple skin-tight dress with a plunging neckline and feathers around the collar and a headpiece adorned with jewels. Her hands are claw-like, bearing sharp nails that could cut even metal itself. She also wore a red beak-like mask to conceal her identity.

As Edea walks, she soon comes across three people, two men and one woman, with one of them apparently drunk from having so many drinks for one night. The other man was a giant of stature, burly and a bit obese, while the woman who was the shortest looked absolutely stunning that could capture a man's heart.

And one of the men accidentally slaps Edea on the shoulder while walking sloppily.

"Ouch!" He spoke. "Watch it, will you? Or can you not see with that stupid thing on your face?"

Edea, however, was not in a mood. "Your breath stinks so much that you should really walk where you are going."

Edea continues walking but the drunkard stops her by grabbing her shoulder. "Hey, hold it right there!"

Edea gives a warning sternly and calmly, "If you do not let go in the next ten seconds, I'll plunge my blade in your chest."

But the drunkard continues his rant as he points at her. "Hey, hey! Your clothes look so funny. What are you, some kind of otaku girl? And that mask you wear looks absolutely ridiculous! Looks like to me you're going to some cult show or something."

Edea had enough.

*SHIINK*

Suddenly, an arm blade goes through the drunkard's chest, dripping with blood. Edea pulls it out as he slumps to the floor, revealing Edea's weapon was part of her partially deployed IS. And her warning was no joke.

"Kyaah!" The woman screamed as she rushes over to her dead friend. "H-He's dead!"

"Oi, what did you do to my brother?!" The giant demanded before he raised a fist at Edea. "You bitch!"

*SLING*

But with one cut to the neck from her partially deployed IS weapon, the giant's head flies off and his body falls sideways. Blood erupts like a geyser as the woman's eyes widen with shock and her face becomes pale with horror. Paralyzed from the sight of her dead fiancé and his brother, she could only watch as Edea wipes the blood off her arm blades and puts away her partially deployed IS.

The woman was shedding tears of fear as she began to urinate uncontrollably in her yukata. Her back against the wall as she sinks down in fear.

Edea soon comes to the frightened woman and kneels down to her level.

"I apologize, but your companions had insulted me and intended to bar my way, so I only did what was necessary," Edea says gently.

The Archon soon places her right clawed hand on the face of the scared woman, her fingers cold to the touch as they gently yet firmly grasp the woman's face to make her look at the Archon.

"There is no need to be afraid, my sweet," Edea said soothingly. "I am not going to kill you. My appearance may seem frightening to most given of this mask and dress I wear but I am very much real. In fact, what I see, even behind this mask, is something truly special. Raw, untamed power. Follow me, and I can give you what you want most: the power to wield the Infinite Stratos."

The woman's eyes widen even further. Despite still scared of Edea and seeing the loss of her two male friends, she was a woman without a compatibility of the Infinite Stratos. And Edea could tell that it was one of her hidden desires to pilot an IS and wield its power.

"Do you accept my offer? Power of the IS in exchange for your life and service to me?"

The frightened woman responds, "Y-Yes. I-I'll do it."

Edea smiles with satisfaction. "Good. Just close your eyes and you will soon find yourself where you truly belong."

Edea uses her hands to gently close the eyelids of the woman, which makes her slumps back to the wall. Now in deep sleep, Edea uses one of her stolen One-Off Abilities to teleport the woman over to an unknown location, opening a small portal behind the woman as she falls back into it. The portal in question is a green tunnel with a swirl-like effect that makes the woman disappear in a flash of white and yellow light.

Sated with the brief scuffle, Edea stands up and with a snap of her fingers, two figures appear behind her in a kneeled position. They were Phantom Task's most recent pair of Rain Meusel, niece to Squall Meusel, and Forte Sapphire, a recent turncoat of the IS Academy and lover of Rain.

"Orimura Chifuyu and her little brother are here," Edea said without turning around to face them. "Inform M to begin her assault immediately." She turns her head slightly to the right to look at the two servants behind her. "Kill the others."

"Understood," Rain Meusel acknowledged.

"As you wish," Forte Sapphire replied.

The two of them then take off in their IS, leaving Edea alone as she takes off her red mask. But in that moment of tranquility, Edea's eyes flicker with red hate, as if she was remembering something from the past. Although the image looked brief, it was clear to her as daylight.

'Orimura Chifuyu…'

In that image was the battered and half destroyed White Knight, triumphant over the Archon in her IS. A sword going through her opponent's chest despite the aggravating wound she received on her stomach. That opponent being none other than Edea, broken and defeated before her foe in her destroyed IS.

A haunting image for the Archon, one that she has not forgotten and never will as she places her hand on her chest and grips it tightly in anger.

Elsewhere, Chifuyu was in her room at the ryokan, dressed in her yukata and looking out to the bright city of Kyoto. Likewise, she clutches her left side with her right hand as that same image Edea envisioned plagues the Brunhilde.

Both women, from far away, could feel each other's presence. And malice was all they could feel in their hearts for one another.

Just like episode 43 of Rurouni Kenshin, Raiden learns the final technique of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū, Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki. There is not much to say about this chapter as it is easy to follow but it was one of the more favorable ones to write if I am honest. Not just because of writing the training session and learning the final technique, but rather getting into the insight and minds of a lot of characters, Houki and Edea included.

But first things first was a retraining session that took days for him to endure. And once he had proven himself, class was then in session. And Hiko's teaching style is a hilarious one. Learning techniques through pain and making someone like Raiden make assumptions about what the final technique was. But most of the training was taken on a serious note as it properly should. After all, classes can be fun and entertaining, but there is always a level of learning that takes priority above all.

And now, Raiden has mastered the final technique, Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki, at the cost of Hiko's life. Just as the cycle of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū has gone on for many centuries. Now for those thinking that the master will be alive next chapter, that would be a fair assumption to make. But remember that even a weapon like the sakabatō can kill someone. Forget cutting into flesh and bone and severing the person in half. Try blunt force trauma at super god-like speed, the likes of which are impossible to follow with the naked eye. And Raiden still wishes to maintain his vow of not killing anyone, enemy or otherwise.

Finally, the chapter ends with Ichika meeting the Archon, Edea Crownsworth, in a manner I am sure many of us are familiar with and where I took such elements from. Yes I did borrow from Demon Slayer but the scene of Muzan's debut was too good to pass up for a first encounter with Ichika and Edea. But unlike Muzan, Edea doesn't create demons nor does she kill people on a whim, especially with the woman at the end. Let's just say she found the men annoying and, like Chifuyu explained in previous chapters, she has used the newfound status of women in society to her advantage. For those thinking I am displaying misandry, THAT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE! If I wanted to display such ridiculous and stupid things, I wouldn't be writing this story now, would I?

Next chapter will be the prelude to the final battle in Kyoto. An old grudge with FEISAR's captain to finish first before heading onto the final battle and final episode of season 2. And if anyone is wondering if I will use any battles of Rurouni Kenshin Kyoto Arc for Season 2 Episode 2 of Infinite Stratos, probabaly not because the abttles shown in Rurouni Kenshin Kyoto Arc were more like skirmishes compared to a battlefield.

These last two chapters are perhaps going to take the longest to do because of what is currently going on with my life at the moment. I wont't explain what that entails, for now, but I will let you know in the next author's note for the next chapter. That said, the chapters may come out early next year at the latest but again, I will let you guys know next chapter.

Like, favorite, follow, and review at your leisure. If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me.