Special Thanks to Sylvia for reading this through for me. Special thanks also to the people on the Fanfic Mailing list who also picked out some mistakes, especially to Herald Captain Kerowyn and her requests for more chapters. And extra Special Thanks to the archive keeper for putting this up for me!

Two Blades of a Sakabatou

By Jade One

Hiko sat back drinking his sake. He had fulfilled his baka deshi's request, sort of. The Aoiya had been damaged but that wasn't his fault, he had managed to ensure that everyone was still alive and waiting for Kenshin's return. He glanced towards Kamiya before returning to his sake. He had watched her fight Kamatari. A bladed weapon would probably help her technique but still she had certainly been more than a match for the sycthe wielder and better than the average fighter. But she was certainly no match for Hiko Seijuro. No one was. But for the Meiji era her abilities were more than adequate and her beliefs were acceptable to both the Government and the population. Her teaching abilities seemed to be quite good as well, if the brat's performance was anything to judge by. Still Kenshin isn't only interested in her fighting ability he thought with a smirk, glancing again in her direction.

She sat quietly, the brat's head cushioned in her lap, however he couldn't help but remember the force he had felt earlier and wonder. Twice earlier today he had felt a power. Not a physical power. If there had been a physical power here he would not have been needed to beat Fuji, but a spiritual power. A spiritual power that easily rivalled the power he had chosen to direct into his physical mastery of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. If he had to meet that power on its own terms, it was quite possible that he, the Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu would lose. He had some mastery of spiritual power. No one could get to his level of skill without it, even his baka deshi did, but neither of them compared to the depths of power that had been hinted at. But was that power really hers or was he imagining it? He narrowed his eyes remembering the feeling...

He had just beaten Fuji. He had used his best move, the Kuzu Ryu Sen. It would not be fatal, not for a man with that large a physical build and with such a fighting spirit but just to make sure, he had reversed his blade. Oh, he could have made it fatal but there was no need for him to kill this man, he was just mislead and could live in the new era his baka deshi had created if he was given the proper attention. This could also be regarded as respecting his student's vow of non killing, but he wouldn't let that be known.

They had been regarding the old man, the man who had, until recently controlled Fuji, complaining that he seemed to be alive. You couldn't get everything you wanted. Now all that was left to do was wait. He had sighed, "Oh well... Anyway... I've kept my promise to my little bastard. I don't know if he will return dead or alive." He had said, half to himself, half to the moaning Oniwa Bashu while regarding his fallen opponent, before turning to regard the people he had saved and telling them the only path that was open to them now. "All you can do is believe in him and wait."

He had begun casting around for a comfortable seat. There was no way his baka deshi would arrive back this soon. That would be too convenient. So it would likely be a long wait and he wanted to be comfortable.

Kamiya had answered, "Hai," as she had looked over the tired but victorious group.

"Our fight is finally over," the Okina had agreed

He could almost feel their exhaustion melting away as Misao's face took on its customary grin, "We've won!"

"We've fulfilled our promise to Kenshin," the brat had proclaimed. He smiled, mentally adding the thought, with a little help. Still the kid was brave, baka but brave and determined, much like Kenshin in that respect.

Misao had jumped then, catching the brat with her kick, "Yeah!!!!"

Yahiko recovered, punching the air, "Now we'll just wait for him to come back. That's all." Hmm. These people really do trust my deshi.
    It was then that he had felt and heard it for the first time that afternoon, as the Kamiya girl had turned away, a smile playing around her lips as she murmured his name, "Kenshin..."  He had felt the thought sent to his student and the raw spiritual power that had accompanied it. Naturally he had tried to determine its source but by then it was gone. It could not be the girl. It would take decades of training to reach that level of power, perhaps it was the Okina. He had turned to regard the old man as the feeling had faded. It wasn't him. I have to have imagined it. There is no one here with that level of power.

The conclusion was easily reached. And he had settled down to wait while drinking his sake. Then power had been used again, near sunset. He had just explained to Kamiya some of the power behind the Ama Kakeru Ryu No Hirameki and was remembering again his conversation with his deshi on wanting to live when he had been interrupted by the same call, "KENSHIN..." Anguished, and this time accompanied by a jolt of power which was almost certain to raise the dead. Just as quickly it was gone. Again. He had looked around, no one else had seemed surprised or thought anything was wrong. The Okina, at least, would have had to have felt a call of that strength but he was continuing to stand on the roof, unconcerned and certainly undisturbed. He had felt nothing. He shook his head, narrowing his eyes as he had regarded Kaoru once more. No, he was imaging things. Perhaps he was more worried about his deshi than he thought. Now wasn't that a fine position for the Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Hiko Seijuro the thirteenth, to be in, concerned about a student!

Shishio pulled his sword from the body of the demon, smiling before turning to regard Enma, the current but soon to be deposed Ruler of Hell. His troops had taken the castle, leaving the final stage of his new Kuni Tori to him. Yumi, Hoji and Usui of his old Juppongatana, Jin'eh and others he had judged worthy formed his new Juppongatana. Both old and new waited near the ruined doors of the Hall. His only regret was that the Tenken, the Seta Soujiro he had created, would not join him here. His creation had been destroyed, remolded by the man calling himself Himura Kenshin. He had lost all of his Juppongatana on Earth. But it was only a passing regret and was quickly gone as he measured his opponent.

The demon Enma sat regarding the carnage before him and the man responsible for it. His minions had been destroyed, not that they wouldn't be happy to see him fall, but only if they were responsible for deposing him. Challenges to his power were common but rarely did they truly threaten him and his hold on his domain. However, this man, Shishio Makoto, may succeed where many other demons had failed. Human souls were after all more powerful than your average demon, especially when they had been trained to fight, to destroy, to kill. Eventually, Enma was sure that another demon would supplant Shishio, just as he had supplanted his own demon master to attain his rulership, but Enma was equally sure he would not be around to witness that event. Shishio would not let him survive. Demons were destined to rule this realm and if the occasional human took over it simply served to make them stronger.

However, he had planned to rule this realm forever. He would not be deposed by some upstart human. No this is my realm, I will rule forever. It would be his vision and his power which would shape this world. He would destroy this uppity human. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the soul of the man who was close to completing his Kuni Tori in hell, extending his demonic senses looking into the future for the outcome of this battle.

His eyes snapped opened, widening to their greatest extend. He saw two futures. The outcome of a fight with this human was something his powers could not determine. If he met this Shishio Makoto in battle... But it doesn't have to be me who fights him, does it? Enma began casting into the human world for a special soul.

"Well demon, are you going to fight me? Or are you going to sit there and wait for me to cut off your head?"

"Hmmm... Sometimes Shishio, I am forced to give you full measure for patience and intelligence but at others I wonder if you are not an idiot."

"Ano?" What was the demon blathering about? "Well, either way suits me but I think I will just cut off your head." Shishio responded taking a step towards Enma.

Humans, so impatient. "Ohhh," Enma breathed out, relaxed. "I'll fight you Shishio, but just because you have killed those demons who chose to remain under my banner, don't think you have won. It has not yet been decided that a battle will be between you and me," Enma commented with a smile as his senses located the soul he had been looking for. No there are still pathways, options which are open to me. "I will fight you human, but as the Ruler of Hell, I will fight you, only if you prove that you are worthy of my time."

  Enma began the incantation, pulling the soul of the man who had defeated Shishio Makoto in life into his realm. Those demons he controlled were dead but that didn't mean he couldn't recruit some more help. And this was a soul which could stand equal to or even greater than Shishio Makoto. This was the soul which would ensure his supremcy and secure his rulership for eternity. He completed the summoning, indicating a point slightly infront of him, and reached out and pulled the soul to him.
 

Chop, chop, chop! Kaoru smiled happily as she carefully cut the vegetables for tonights meal. She was helping Kenshin to prepare the meal. Kenshin was standing beside her making rice balls and would soon see to the preparation of the fish Sanosuke had caught. Just being with Kenshin was enough to make her happy. They worked in relative silence together.

Sano and Yahiko peered carefully around the door frame, checking on the foods progress. Neither of them were about to comment, the kitchen was just too full of items which could easily become projectiles. Cooking utensils, the food, the cutting knife, fire wood, serving plates and other various items which found their home in the Kamiya kitchen. And Kaoru's aim had been improving lately. If all else failed, Kenshin's sakaba was resting against the wall and Kaoru was quite adept at chasing them both down, weilding a sword, especially over comments about her cooking. Although, like her aim, her cooking had been improving, she wasn't quite up to preparing the entire meal. As one they backed away, leaving the couple to their cooking, reassured. Kenshin was there. That at least guarenteed that the meal would be edible, perhaps not as good as one prepared by Toki-dono or Itsuko-dono but edible. They left the couple alone to prepare the meal, moving to sit on the walk way and waited for their food.

In the kitchen, Kenshin felt Sano and Yahiko withdraw as he continued to make the rice balls. Sano had declared that since he had caught the fish he was not preparing it. He stole a glace at Kaoru and smiled. I am so lucky. She is so beautiful. Kaoru wore a new blue kimono with a white obi and ribbon in her hair. She looked like an empress. I am so much in love, he repeated to himself yet again. Yes, just being here is enough to ease the pain of the past. Ai shi te ru, Kaoru. He closed his eyes, briefly enjoying the feeling of domestic tranquility, enjoying the sense of peace, the sense that he was home. His wandering days were over. He was no longer Rurounin, no longer Himura Battousai, no longer the Hitokiri Battousai, no longer the samuari, no longer the fighter. He was Himura Kenshin, a master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, the wanderer who had stopped at Kamiya Dojo and a man of the new age. What more or what else he was he could not say but that didn't matter, just being here was enough for him.
   The attack, if attack it was, came all at once. There was no warning, no sudden flare of hostile kenki for him to feel and act upon. The kitchen was suddenly, instantaneously bathed in red energy and he remembered the sharp clang of the cutting knife as Kaoru had turned towards him, her eyes wide in alarm, calling his name, even as he had moved to shield her from whatever the attack was.

And then he was falling, cradling Kaoru in his arms, ready to protect her from any impact. He hadn't noticed the glowing white form of the Sakabatou Shinuchi falling beside him. He had called her name, trying to rouse her.

When the impact came, it was gentle although the fall had seemed to last forever. His sakaba had clattered loudly to the ground but lay unnoticed by him as he held Kaoru calling her name.  I will not lose her.

    "Nani?" Shishio stepped back, his eyes widening as the Battousai appeared between himself and Enma. What is the Battousai doing here? And who is the woman he's holding? His thoughts were echoed by Yumi and those members of his original Juppongatana.

Hoji, especially, was concerned. This was the man who had defeated Shishio-sama in life. But how had he gotten into the Realm of the Dead? And what was his purpose here? Hoji regarded the man. At the moment he did not look like a threat but he remembered to clearly this man refused too die and had slowly but surely pushed Shishio-sama passed his ultimate limit, without ever reaching his own. This was the man who had built the Meiji government and had protected it. This was the man whose actions had single handedly gathered those who had destroyed the Kuni Tori on earth. He may not look like a threat, as he gently lay the woman on the ground, carefully cradling her head, checking her life signs and still calling her name. But he was.

Jin'eh regarded the woman who had essentially defeated him. How had she gotten his Shin no Ippou off? She had robbed him of the death he desired. His battle against the Hitokiri Battousai had been exhilerating, death by that hand would have been exquisite but she had stopped him. How had she gotten the Shin no Ippou off? She was just a child. What was her power? Perhaps now, with the Hitokiri Battousai and the woman he loved present, he would find out how she had done it. How she had robbed him of the death he desired. And perhaps he could find death in the Battousai's sword here.

"This could prove interesting," Shishio murmured relaxing his stance. He was prepared to wait a little for his answers.

End Part 1