From: Jade One <jade_one2@yahoo.com>


 Hi there Minna

I forgot to mention on the last half of chpt 11 that the previous
ones can be found at the T.e.a.h.o.u.s.e. Thank you.

Tokyo - Akihisa's Base 

    <It's quiet with no one here,> Akihisa 
thought as he finished his morning 
meditation. At least it was physically quiet 
within his compound. The noise of the city 
on his Kouken senses was as loud as ever. 
If anything though, it was more intense. 
Everything was more intense since 
yesterday. He rubbed his arm. It still hurt, 
but that was to be expected. His ribs 
pained him with each breath but they were 
bandaged and would heal. Considering 
what he had gained, and who he had 
fought, a bruised arm and some cracked 
ribs were inconsequential. 
    He looked to the yard. Katsunan and 
Bairei had left yesterday, well before noon, 
taking with him most of the servants and 
her... She still dazzled him and though he 
missed her presence, until he was used to 
the new strength of his abilities it was 
probably better that they were apart. One 
day soon, he would lose himself within her, 
but the rational part of him would prefer to 
be able to find the way out. <Heh, I'm too 
sentimental. Enough of this. Until the 
imposter is dead, until he recognises *my* 
skill, *my* position this will not be over...> 
His eyes flashed before Akihisa took a 
calming breath, forcing himself to examine 
those threads he still needed to deal with. 
    <I have to check on the Battousai. I 
promised him he would not see me again, 
but I still need to check that she is 
acceptable... Later.> Akihisa frowned 
slightly, remembering. A flicker of motion, 
casual, slow but the gaze was too intense. 
The calm appearance but the cursing mind. 
<I didn't play with him yesterday so it's 
only fair that I should give Saitou 
something first today. Ah yes, the Shadow 
Daggers... I *would* so hate to disappoint 
him.> 
    His decision made, Akihisa rose and 
strode to the wall. Reverentially he reached 
out, picking up the sword. As always a jolt 
passed through him as he touched the 
blade, even through the saya, it was so 
powerful, so perfect. "I have the technique 
which is worthy of you now," he whispered 
to the sword. "Now you will not be 
dishonored." He slid the sword through his 
belt before he reached for the wakizashi. 
Something made him pause, his hand 
hovering over the wakizashi's saya. 
Akihisa's emerald eyes clouded, becoming 
black as something stirred within him. He 
closed his eyes, shivering slightly. His 
breathing became erratic. <What's wrong 
with me?> The thought was lost in a haze 
of red. 
    ::Worthy of me?:: There was no voice 
but the question was there. Akihisa's eyes 
flew open. 
    "Nani!?" The world was red and 
everything was hard, angular. Everything 
was flat with sharp edges. 
    ::Worthy of me?:: It came again. ::Are 
you really worthy of me?:: 
    He gasped looking down at his waist. 
Akihisa's arms moved unconsciously, 
drawing the sword, he had donned. <The 
Battousai's sword?> he thought. In the 
harsh red of the world it stood out. 
Somehow it seemed to glow and while  
everything he saw was defined sharply, it 
seemed to be clearer. And it was waiting 
for his response. 
    ::Kouken Sokuuchi even when used to 
its full extent is not a technique which is 
worthy of your perfection,:: Akihisa began. 
::You should only be used with the 
technique of the man who wielded you 
through the Bakumatsu, the technique of a 
man whose skill is legendary to this day. 
Anything else would cheapen your worth, 
would be a dishonor to you.:: 
    ::Yet you believe you are worthy of me, 
you believe that the combining of body and 
mind is better than the one alone I was 
used with before?:: 
    ::Hai, the combining makes both of them 
stronger, both more precise. But it requires 
something else before they are perfect.:: 
<How does one explain things to a 
sword?> 
    ::I am a part of that?:: The question was 
there, but there was something else carried 
with the voiceless feeling... Doubt, he 
identified the feeling. 
    <It doubts me?!> Akihisa flared. <Or 
does it doubt itself?> ::You are a part of 
this. However your perfection could only 
be matched at the beginning by one 
technique, Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu. Now, as 
the times have changed and the purpose 
for which you were made had been 
fulfilled, it requires something more to 
match you. The combination of body and 
mind is the technique you are worthy of, 
now and I will wield you thus. In time, I 
will give you the perfect technique.:: 
    ::Worthy of me?:: Again there was no 
voice, just the feeling of the question but 
the world he saw darkened slightly. 
::Worthy of me? Are *you* worthy of 
me?:: Malice was in the tone. Akihisa 
shuddered, there was not even the hope of 
forgiveness in that tone should he step 
wrong. 
    ::*I am,*:: he snarled at it. ::I am the only 
one who will wield you to your full 
potential. I am worthy of you,:: he replied 
forcefully. 
    ::Worthy of me.:: It came again before 
the world disappeared and everything 
changed... 

    Akihisa shivered. <Nani? This isn't... 
I've never...> A force crashed down on his 
confused thoughts. 
    The snow lay thick under the trees all 
around him. It's crisp whiteness was 
beautiful but the ground before him was 
marred. The snow was trampled and 
churned. It was no longer white but was 
stained and splattered with red. His breath 
burned within his throat, one more small 
pain which barely registered. His ears... 
Blood was flowing freely from them. His 
mouth tasted of nothing but blood. His 
eyes burned, the sparkling brilliance of the 
explosion still dazzled them. His arms felt 
heavy and his hands gripped the blade only 
from long habit. His whole body hurt, a 
throbbing pain. But that was nothing. He 
still had work to do. One more enemy 
remained before him. One more between 
him and rest. 
    He tensed and jumped forward. One 
more. One last blow and this would all be 
over. He pulled back and began, driving 
the sword down. <Nani!? That smell...> 
*"IYA."* But he could not stop... Did he 
want to stop? 
    The snow, it's chill burnt into his legs 
was no longer white. It was red, 
completely covered by blood. He was 
holding someone, a woman. <That face...> 
The Battousai... He knew this woman. Her 
white face was as familiar as his own but 
suddenly it changed. Her dark eyes 
becoming a crisp, vibrant blue but they 
were slowly losing their life. The whiteness 
of her face darkened, becoming a warmer 
softer shade but it was taking on the pallor 
of death. "K...k...kaoru... KAORU!!! Iya! 
I... I killed her... The thought was 
sickening. No, it wasn't, it was what he 
wanted... Then there was nothing but 
darkness. 

    ::Worthy of me?:: Scathing. ::You 
*might* be.:: The tone was considering, 
calculating. A new image, a face, a man. 
Narrowed yellow eyes, four tendrils of hair 
trailing over the face while the rest was 
slicked back. A hard, determined face. 
One he knew, *Saitou Hajime.* ::Are you 
worthy of me? Prove it!:: 
    "Yeargh!" Akihisa screamed, falling to 
his knees, dropping the sword to clutch his 
head as the words echoed again and again, 
rising to a noise beyond sound, ordering 
him, taunting, making the word spin. 
::Prove it. Prove it. PROVE IT!:: And then 
a whisper. ::And *then* I will consider you 
worthy.:: The world shattered, the flat red 
tinted view fell like glass before vanishing. 
The world returned to normal. Akihisa 
remained still, bracing himself on hands and 
knees as in between painful gasps for 
breath he wretched. But there was nothing 
to come and he was reduced to a series of 
coughs. <That wasn't me. I didn't do it. It 
was the sword... No... That was the 
Battousai! His memory, his actions...> 
Akihisa gasped, tears squeezing their way 
out of his eyes to roll down his face as he 
coughed. 
    Finally he gritted his teeth, drawing 
himself back to sit kneeling. He was 
covered in sweat and his body shook from 
strain. "Stubborn thing aren't you?" he 
muttered, trying to breath deeply as he 
brought himself under control. "Vicious 
too. But you're right. Death is too easy." 
He smiled slightly as he reached out again 
and carefully sheathed the sword. "A 
challenge but I expected nothing less from 
you and from the woman. But I will do it. I 
will bring him to his knees. I will prove to 
you that I am the only one for you. I will 
do what you want." He chuckled slightly as 
his tone became faintly scolding, "but I 
never would have thought you would have 
been so vain." 
    Akihisa sighed. "Time to go. Recruiting 
is such a drag but I should be able to show 
you what the combination of Hiten and 
Kouken can do." he turned from the wall, 
leaving the wakizashi as he cast his mind 
over the city, searching for those he could 
use to deal with the Shadow Daggers. 
"Maybe I shouldn't have let them have the 
Tanto Phoenix's but I guess there was no 
choice," he muttered as he located a 
suitable group. "This should be fun 
though." 

Tokyo - Elsewhere and Later 

    Akihisa strode through the streets. A 
little careful confusion, misdirection 
ensured that no one noticed his passage, 
not even when he entered the shabbier part 
of town, confidently heading towards his 
destination. He could feel the curiosity of 
the blade. ::A little different from what 
you're used to, hmm?:: he questioned, 
amused before turning his attention away. 
He stopped and drew back slightly into a 
comfortably dark alley, looking over at his 
target. He considered his options. <Darn 
it! This is why I have Katsunan. I should 
send Bairei. No... He has other things to 
do. Those BAKA Shadow Daggers! 
ARGH! But why do I have to do this?> 
He sighed irritably, arguing with himself 
more reasonably. <This will be a good 
test, one I haven't given myself for far to 
long. Group manipulation is always harder 
that individuals and I need to keep in 
practice... If I can't I can always test out 
the effectiveness of Hiten Mitsurugi for 
myself. I'll be doing the city a favor,> he 
grinned viciously. <I have to check on 
everyone soon, so I had better make this 
quick. I'll take them head on, that should 
catch their attention, providing they're 
sober enough to listen.> Akihisa reached 
up, running his hands through his hair 
before tying it back with a scrap piece of 
leather before letting his hands fall. 
    He reached out, determining the location 
of each target. <Hmm, their positioning is 
interesting. Hehe!> Akihisa smothered his 
amusement, closing his eyes and drawing in 
his power. He opened his eyes slowly, 
their emerald brilliance was dull. He 
extended his focus, pulling his manto tight 
around his body as he spun his mind down, 
spiraling around and around forming a 
cloak of thought, one that would cause the 
world... no not the world, just the humans, 
to ignore him. <Kouken can be so useful at 
times but he knew its weaknesses. If 
people would pay attention to their 
weapons, they might be able to see me but 
there is no one like that here. I'll just have a 
little chat with their boss...> 
    He lunged forward, running from the 
alley towards the small compound which 
contained the one's he had chosen. <But 
one group is like the rest. These ones are 
convenient.> His manto flowed behind 
him, its geocentrically patterned edge 
rippling, catching the sun but he didn't 
notice. 
    Akihisa jumped to the top of the wall, 
landing lightly before leaping down and 
dodging left into a deep shadow cast by 
the morning sun. <They can't see me but 
the shadow is difficult to miss... Now...> 
He narrowed his eyes, considering the 
building. <The boss is in the back room... 
Back door... back door,> he searched for 
the thought, opening himself to those 
around him, gently probing before he 
mentally pulled back and began moving 
along the wall. 

    The room was bare and was surprisingly 
quiet. One man sat on a slightly raise dais 
and he was the only occupant, although 
guards, if they could be called such, 
lounged within shouting distance, gambling 
and drinking away whatever money they 
had. They hadn't begun their usual work of 
extortion or terrorizing the local populace 
for today. Akihisa leant against the wall, his 
arms folded under his manto. The man 
hadn't noticed him yet, he wouldn't until 
Akihisa decided he was ready. This was 
easy to ensure although it had taken a bit 
of work to get into the room, to make its 
occupant ignore the door as it slid back 
enough for him to gain access to the room. 
    The yakuza boss was not a typical 
specimen. As far as Niijima was 
concerned there were two types. the 
strong man who enforced order by means 
of his bulk or the snake, usually diminutive 
or fat, but with a crude, cunning mind who 
could blackmail others into submission. 
This one didn't appear to be either. He 
appeared to have had some formal training 
and was sitting in some semblance of a 
meditation pose. <It might be nice to talk 
to an educated man.>  His clothes were 
not rumpled and were clean but there was 
nothing extravagant about them. Indeed he 
could probably walk through any street 
and be seen as nothing more than a man 
with a medium build and a respectable 
profession. 
    Akihisa reached out, first in a general 
way, confirming the location of the others 
before he narrowed his focus upon the 
rooms other occupant. <...forward, left 
arm down, right leg back, arm high, 
turn...> He stifled a snort. His mind was 
running through katas! On the surface at 
least. Akihisa pushed deeper. Various 
plots and half formed schemes floated 
around him but they confirmed what 
Niijima needed to know. This particular 
batch of yakuza did not have any affection 
or animosity beyond the norm for the 
Shadow Daggers. <I wouldn't want 
Saitou-san to get the wrong idea,> Akihisa 
thought, pulling back. It did show him one 
other thing. This man, despite his 
appearance he had a complete lack of 
morals that was a prerequisite for anyone 
in his position He looked at the man 
through his long lashes, his hand moving to 
the hilt of his sword. It was time to get his 
attention. 
    He moved, lunging forward as he drew 
the Battousai's, no his sword, leveling it at 
the man's throat. The man's eyes snapped 
open as he felt the sudden burst of hostility 
but by then it was too late. Niijima stood 
before him, sword tip digging gently into 
his throat, as his manto fluttered around 
him. The man's eyes were wide and his 
gaze strained between Akihisa and the 
sword. "You could scream," Akihisa 
informed him pleasantly. "But I will kill you 
before you can draw breath for that." His 
face took on a slightly saddened look. 
"And that would be such a waste, since I 
didn't really come here to kill you," he 
paused, meeting the man's eyes. "Now do 
I have your attention?" 
    The man nodded slightly, carefully. 
"Good," Akihisa purred. "I trust you'll let 
me talk for a little while, hmm? Things 
could get very unpleasant if you don't." 
Akihisa smiled at him. He could feel the 
man's confusion, the turmoil of his mind. 
He nodded again. 
    "Ah," Niijima nodded back, 
withdrawing his sword, but not resheathing 
it as he stepped back lightly. "Now Ibi 
Hiroji, I believe your name is, I have a 
business proposition for you..." He felt the 
decision before Hiroji was even aware of it 
but he decide to let it go, it would make 
things more interesting. 
    Akihisa made no move as Hiroji 
screamed for his guards. He merely 
glanced contemptuously around with half 
closed eyes assessing their reactions. After 
all, their inner sanctum had been invaded 
and they hadn't even noticed. Ibi smirked, 
obviously assured of his superiority by the 
presence of his men. "No. I have a 
proposition for you... You get to die!" He 
sounded triumphant. 
    Niijima sighed, tiredly. <Can't anyone 
come up with something more original. I 
heard this so many times when I was 
looking for the Battousai. A polite escort 
outside would probably leave me dazed.> 
"I already said I wasn't here to kill you 
baka! If I wanted to, you wouldn't even 
have noticed me. Heh! You *didn't* even 
notice me enter this room... So what 
makes you think you have the advantage 
now?" he questioned, planting the doubt. 
    Hiroji shook his head. "You're good and 
amusing but you *really* shouldn't have 
tried it this way... Kill him!" 
    "How boring!" Niijima sighed again, his 
arm already moving, snapping up, sword 
still held horizontally, gripped by his little 
and ring fingers. The other two were 
extended straight, pointing towards Hiroji. 
"Restraint," he snarled, suddenly angry. 
This was such a waste of time. He should 
be checking on the Battousai and then he 
could leave to be with her. The dull throb 
from his arm did not help his temper. 
    Everyone, every single man within the 
compound froze, held by Niijima's will. 
    Akihisa stepped towards Hiroji, who 
was doing his best to cower back despite 
the fact he couldn't move. "Now," Niijima 
whispered. "You are going to listen to me." 
His eyes burned into Ibi's, black 
overpowering the brown. "And you are 
going to obey me... willingly or not. And 
should you think about payment for your 
services..." Akihisa's arm snaked out and 
the shining length of his sword flashed 
once, cleaving cleanly through the chest of 
one unfortunate. They fell without so much 
as a strangled cry. Blood splattered noisily 
on the floor and popped form the lungs. 
"You get to live for payment..." 

End Part 11 

Definitions 

Ougi – Final technique 
Deshi – pupil, student 
Kodochi – Aoshi’s short sword 
Ara – general exclamation of surprise 
Gomen - Sorry 
Hai, Aa - Yes 
Saya – sword sheath 
Okashira - Leader 
Kunai – Misao’s weapon of choice 
Wakizashi - the short sword that a samurai 
carried 
Baka - stupid 
Kire – beautiful (no sure if it applies to 
people. Any one want to clarify that for 
me? ^_^) 
Nani – what 
Iya - no 
Mou - darn, general female exclamation of 
frustration or annoyance 
Minna - everyone 

Tamashii Hitokken Ryu - Yasutake 
Ryuichi's and Murakami Seir's technique 
Tamashii - soul 
Hitokken - One Sword 

Kouken Sokuuchi Ryu - Niijima Akihisa, 
Segawa Shinichi, and Ryusaki Masujiro's 
technique 
Kou - Thought 
Ken - Sword 
Soku - Swift 
Uchi - Strike 

Fairly simple ne? 
HUGE Thank you to Tatsuko for helping 
to create the names of some fighting 
schools. 

Any other names that appear in this fic, eg 
names of people, while I'm sure they mean 
something, I did not pick them because of 
any meaning they may have. I picked them 
because I liked them when I was choosing 
names. Some I stole from other manga's 
and animes and one or two I made up 
myself. 

Hope people liked this chpt.

Jade One
 
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