From: Jade One <jade_one2@yahoo.com>

Hi there Minna-san

Thank you for the comments on Chpt 11 and sorry but I won't be able
to respond to them for a little while. I got a job and it's severly
cutting into my free time. As for commenting on everyone else's
fics... Slinks guiltily away... I have read some of them and
hopefully I will get around to commenting on them

Hmmm, previous chpts are up at the Teahouse. (Thank you thank you for
posting it.)

Comments are as always welcomed and I promise I will eventually reply
to them.

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin (C) characters 
belong to Watsuki Nobuhiro (All Hail), 
Shueisha, Sony Entertainment and perhaps 
some others but most definitely not to me. I 
am borrowing characters without asking 
permission and I am not making any money 
out of this. Also I am not worth suing as I 
am a broke student. However this story and 
any characters I create do belong to me. 
I hope anyone who takes the time to read 
this will enjoy it. 

< > Thought 
* * Emphasis 
:: ::  Non spoken conversation 

Notes: I am assuming that there is a train 
line from Kyoto to Osaka. I know in the 
manga they (Kenshin, Saitou, and Sano) 
took a carriage but it is convenient for my 
fic so I'm not really interested in it's actual 
existence or not. For fic purposes I say a 
train line exists between Kyoto and Osaka, 
so it exists. 
    Secondly, pulling out the atlas shows the 
trip by sea from Nagoya to Tokyo to be 
shorter than that from Osaka to Tyoko 
although the overland distance from Kyoto 
is a little longer and there appears to be a bit 
of a mountain/hill in the way. Fic purposes 
again, they (Hiko, Aoshi, Misao, Shinichi 
and Masujiro) are travelling Kyoto to Osaka 
by train, then Osaka to Tokyo by ship. Part 
of the reason is that I assume Osaka 
is/would have been a larger city/port and so 
more ships would have been available for 
hire. Enough babbling though... On with the 
fic. 

Kokoro - Heart, Mind and Soul 
Part 12 
By Jade One 

Time Frame: Day after Exchange 

Elsewhere - On the way to Tokyo 

    Seir stumbled onward toward Tokyo 
concentrating mostly on raising one leg after 
the other. He was breathing heavily and his 
body was screaming for rest, but he'd 
almost been caught again twice and he 
wasn't about to let that happen again. Not 
now. Not when his captor had two of the 
three techniques he desired. Not when all 
he required was knowledge Seir possessed. 
<I couldn't fight him now. I couldn't fight a 
babe off now. Not that I was at the end.> 
He frowned, remembering Akihisa's 
anger... <All I said was the truth. But I 
couldn't stand against both techniques and I 
doubt whatever was shielding me then could 
do it either... So I have to get away. I have 
to get far enough away then he cannot find 
me. I have to find his master to make them 
stop.> He pushed on toward Tokyo rising 
resolutely each time he fell. 

Tokyo - Akihisa's Base 

    <That could have gone better,> Akihisa 
thought, slowly chewing his rice. <But they 
will obey me, and that is all that is 
important.> He continued eating although he 
did not have much of an appetite. It was an 
early meal for him. He had many things to 
do after this. He pushed the food away, 
reaching for the tea which had been placed 
near it, reviewing the instructions he had 
given to his operatives, and those he had yet 
to instruct. 
    <Hasekura...> He had spoken to her last 
night as she had tenderly but properly 
bandaged his wounds. She was so useful 
and so easy to manipulate. The Okashira 
would regret not paying attention to her 
pleas. She had been gentle last night but 
beneath it, beneath her soft words and delft 
hands he could see her fear, not of him, her 
only fear of him was the some day he 
would ignore her, and he wasn't ready to do 
that. Not yet. No, she didn't fear him, but 
another man, another she served and not 
willingly. He had seen that and had 
deliberately waited until she had finished her 
ministrations before he had reached out and 
pulled her in, closing his arms around her, 
whispering the comfort, the reassurance she 
longed to hear. As before she had resisted 
only for an instant but unlike the last time 
she had turned, squirming in his arms to 
face him, musing her hair. She had looked 
at him then, tears shining in her not green 
eyes, her blood red lips slightly apart and 
had made a plea to him. The same one she 
had made to her former masters, although 
not quite in the same way. The one which 
due to their lack of action had planted the 
seed of betrayal. Unlike them, he had 
answered her, whispering softly as he 
stroked her hair. "I know little one, I know. 
And it will not last forever and though it 
pains me thus for the moment I must ask 
you to endure." She had gasped and 
stiffened against him. "I must ask you to 
endure," he repeated, gently entering her 
mind to sooth her pain. "But only for a little 
while longer. Soon... little one, soon 
everything will be complete and you can 
begin anew, with no bindings from the past. 
I will not force you Hasekura," he said.  <I 
don't have to. You gave up more than you 
will ever know when you chose me.> "I will 
find another way if I must..." he had trailed 
off, knowing she couldn't disobey. She 
would continue as she had no matter what 
happened and she couldn't betray him. She 
belonged to him. 
    Beneath his hand he had felt her shake 
her head slowly and quietly draw breath to 
speak. "Iie. That will not be necessary 
Master. I have been with him for sixteen 
years, I can wait a few weeks, months 
longer for you." Her eyes had softened and 
she had buried her head in his chest. "You 
ask me to serve, you do not order and that 
is why I chose you. I will be patient until 
you give the word." She had risen then, 
drawing back from his embrace, the one 
she wanted so much, sensing that tonight he 
wished to be alone. 
    Akihisa watched her leave. So easy the 
thought came again.  <So easy to give what 
she wants. So easy to hide the truth. You 
have no choice but to wait Inoue. You have 
no choice because it suits me thus. Your 
position is too valuable for you to wander 
from his side. And unlike your previous 
master, I can force compliance and I will 
not let go.> 
    Hasekura had her instructions and would 
continue to serve. 
    <Bairei...>  Akihisa reached out, 
sweeping his base for the familiar presence. 
"Bairei!" he called as other servants entered 
to remove the remains of his meal. He 
watched as the young man bowed before 
him, motioning for him to sit. 
    "Niijima-sama." 
    "I trust your morning went well?" 
    "Hai," Bairei replied. "Although Yukishiro 
has disappeared the fragments of his 
organization are efficient when they can 
shake off the Police. Others are also 
moving into the territories so it was not 
difficult to replace that which was stolen." 
    "That's good to hear." 
    "Although, Niijima-sama?" Bairei looked 
faintly worried. 
    "Nani?" 
    "I know you didn't order it thus, 
Niijima-sama but I took the extra precaution 
of ordering the shipment to be placed in 
several sites. It has been scattered around 
Tokyo." 
    Akihisa smiled warmly. "There is nothing 
to be afraid of Bairei. You are allowed to 
take sensible independent action and in this 
case it is warranted. I have no wish to 
repeat the Shadow Daggers," he paused 
considering the path before him. "Your 
father has become involved in my plans," he 
began again. 
    "Forgive me, Niijima-sama," Bairei 
replied quickly, bowing low. 
    "There is nothing to forgive you for. It 
was to be expected that eventually he and I 
would met again." 
    "You know my desires on the outcome of 
such a meeting," Bairei's voice was firm. 
    "I do," Akihisa replied, amusement in his 
tone. "And I will not disappoint you, but his 
involvement means I will require your 
presence back at my main base with me. So 
I have one last errand and task for you 
while we are in Tokyo." 
    "Hai." 
    "I require you to collect and information 
package from Inoue. She needs to remain 
with her husband for the moment." 
    Bairei's eyes flashed, amused and he 
caught the general feeling of dislike and 
contempt. 
    "I know," he chided gently. "But even her 
former masters recognised the value of her 
position. She is useful and easy to use, so be 
nice. Enough of this though, I also require 
you to contact Morihiro I haven't spoken to 
him in a while and have not used him at all 
in this so they will be perfect for watching 
over Tokyo. Please inform him I wish to 
see them later tonight and after that, your 
time is your own. However be ready to 
leave tomorrow morning. Tokyo is too noisy 
as I am sure you have noticed and I have 
no wish to linger any longer than 
necessary." 
    "Hai, Niijima-sama," Bairei snapped, 
bowing low before leaving quietly. 
    <Such a good child. So unlike his 
meddling father. He was well worth the 
effort to raise,> Akihisa thought before 
focusing on his next contact. 
    <Katsunan, Tsuya and her. This could be 
a little tricky.> Although she would be 
unaware and her presence dampened, the 
strength she had, her pure brilliance still 
called him daring him. Soon he would take 
up its challenge but until then he required 
distance from her, distance from the song 
she sang. Akihisa focused inward before 
reaching out, travelling out from Tokyo 
along the route to his base... 
    There! A dazzle like the sun on water, 
and beside it two lesser presence’s. 
::Katsunan, Tsuya!:: he called, waiting for 
their response. 
    ::Niijima-sama.:: They responded, Tsuya's 
seductive tone mingled with Katsunan's 
formal thought. 
    ::How goes the journey?:: he questioned 
veering away from the perfect brilliant 
kaleidoscope of color and music which was 
with them. <Later...> He promised himself. 
<Later... When all of this is over... When 
no one can challenge me, then I can lose 
myself and listen only to her.> 
    ::Well, Niijima-sama, as you predicted 
she has given us no problems and is placid. 
We will reach the main base as scheduled. 
Do you wish us to look for the Tamashii 
adept? Tsuya does know his feeling,:: 
Katsunan responded. 
    ::No, I will attend to that problem shortly 
and it is not as urgent as it once was. I will 
require some time to integrate Hiten 
Mitsurugi. It is more important for you to 
reach safety as soon as possible. Tsuya, 
when you arrive, you are to search for them 
then. I require you to merely locate and lock 
on to his position.:: 
    ::Hai, Niijima-sama,:: she responded. 
    ::Katsunan, I will be leaving tomorrow, 
prepare a recapture group but hold them in 
readiness. I will give the order when I am 
ready for Tamashii Hitokken. For the 
moment, your primary concern is her. Do I 
make myself clear?:: Akihisa questioned 
harshly, imprinting his will upon them. 
    ::Hai, Niijima-sama,:: they snapped in 
response as he withdrew from them. They 
knew his desires. They would not fail. He 
traveled on, following the path they had yet 
to travel, to their eventual destination. There 
was a shimmering off to one side. Akihisa 
paused slightly and examined it. It was very 
general. <Murakami Seir. So that's where 
he is. This will be useful for my people.>  
He traveled further. There were two other 
small shimmers. <Masujiro's wife and brat. 
They will arrive later today. This is good.> 
    He stopped again above the town, 
watching as its inhabitants went about their 
daily business. In Tokyo, his black eyes 
gleamed. They were his, this town would 
always be his and soon he could extend his 
reach... Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Yokohama... 
Japan. It would all be his and she would be 
standing by his side. He descended into the 
village. 
    ::Sedra!:: 
    The man jumped, looking around wildly 
before realizing what was happening. He 
cringed both mentally and physically but did 
not resist contact. Akihisa sighed, those he 
rarely contacted could be so transparent at 
times. ::I am no longer upset about 
Murakami, Sedra. Although you should 
direct the search to the south east sections. 
He is heading towards what little protection 
Tokyo can offer.:: Akihisa instructed, 
gleaning details of the search from Sedra's 
mind. 
    ::Hai, Niijima-sama,:: Sedra seemed 
relieved at his Masters acceptance of the 
situation. 
    ::Also those guests I warned you about 
will arrive today.:: 
    ::We have prepared rooms for them, 
Niijima-sama.:: 
    ::Good. They will not cause trouble. 
Katsunan is on his way and should be there 
in two or three days. Transfer command to 
him until I arrive and call the Yokohama 
people. I want them in position between 
there and Tokyo as soon as possible.:: 
Akihisa paused, considering his options. It 
would not hurt to be fully prepared. ::Get in 
contact with Utsunomiya, Toyama, 
Kanazawa... Iya, Kanazawa is too far, go 
for Niigata and Sendai and see if anyone 
else wants to play. Bring in everyone who 
does. Katsunan will fill you in on the 
details.:: 
    ::Hai,:: Sedra replied but Akihisa had 
broken contact and was travelling south 
west towards Kyoto. <Yasunari has 
probably got himself beaten up by now. 
Either way I need to check on him.> He 
focused in, narrowing his attention to Kyoto, 
sifting though the multitude of presence’s 
for the one keyed to him. <Hmm...> He 
frowned. <Not here. Probably captured 
then.>  A slight feeling of urgency rose. <I 
usually wouldn't have ordered him thus but I 
am nearing the end and they do need to be 
warned away even though they will ignore 
them. He *should* not have taken another 
and this is just one more way of telling him. 
They cannot remain invincible forever, not 
now and not after I have everything.> 
Akihisa narrowed eyes, clenching his teeth 
as he forced himself to calm. <Shishou, will 
eventually see the truth when one way or 
another the body lies at his feet... Hmm. 
Yasunari will be able to resist for a little 
while but this is that cursed Masujiro...> 
Akihisa snarled in anger although he knew 
what needed to be done. <I'll have to find 
that ahou Yasunari and add some extra 
precautions. They are too soft hearted to 
consider that option... Now where would 
they be going?> He expanded his focus. 
    They weren't hard to find. They were a 
distinctive group. Hiko Seijuro stood out as 
clear image which was odd. He'd searched 
for both Hiten and Tamashii masters like 
this before and had found nothing. <This is 
good,> Akihisa decided delightedly. <I'm 
already accepting the Battousai's technique, 
if I can so easily find another master.> But 
that wasn't all that made them easy to find. 
The two Kouken 'Masters' were almost a 
beacon to him and as he had expected they 
had not begun any probe to determine who 
Yasunari belonged to. In fact, as Akihisa 
drew cautiously closer none of the group 
appeared to be paying any attention at all to 
their prisoner. Rather they were focused on 
the absorbing task of consuming lunch. But 
he was wary. While he could shield himself 
from his former master and the idiot he 
called a pupil, and from this distance the 
others posed no threat, there was always 
the possibility that they could trap him in 
Yasunari. And living in a body doomed to 
die was not how his future went. Mentally 
Akihisa braced himself, becoming if 
anything more intense but in a way while 
was difficult to detect, as he reinforced his 
shields, trying to mimic the quiet brilliance of 
the Battousai's focused mind, before he 
dove at Yasunari, merging with them so he 
could place his extra precautions.< A bit of 
reinforcing and a specific trap. They don't 
know I read the scrolls before they did and 
no matter if they believe them or not, they 
are sure to try to break him. Power calls to 
power, blood calls to blood but there is a 
defense against even that.> 

On the way to Osaka 

    Hiko's gaze flicked between Shinichi and 
Masujiro as if in askance before he gave a 
small shrug. "I think it's time for another 
demonstration," he said, jerking his head 
towards the slumped form of their prisoner. 
"Unless you wish me to do it." 
    "Why Hiko-san, whatever do you mean?" 
Shinichi asked innocently. 
    "Don't be coy," Hiko snapped. 
    "Just teasing Hiko-san. Indeed we were 
wondering how long you were going to let 
him sleep. Masujiro-kun, would you do it 
please? You have always been better at this 
than me." 
    ::And Niijima is better at this than us 
both,:: Masujiro flicked the thought towards 
his master as he took their prisoners face in 
his hands. 
    ::Unfortunately you are correct, but we 
all have our strengths.:: 
    ::Hai, hai. I would just prefer to believe 
the possibility that this isn't one of Niijima's 
toys. I am shielded Master but I don't want 
any surprises.:: 
    ::I'll anchor you then.:: 
    ::Arigatou,:: Masujiro replied as he felt 
the calming weight of his masters presence 
move to his side. <He is so unlike Niijima. 
It's difficult to believe they are of the same 
school, that Niijima could take his teachings 
and twist them so much... But perhaps it 
was inevitable, the ancient Kouken scrolls 
are very precise...> Masujiro gave himself a 
mental shake before he focused on the man 
in front of him. With his thumbs he peeled 
back the mans eye lids, focusing his own 
darkening eyes on the whiteness revealed. 
He reached out. <Nani..?> 
    ::Shishou, you feel that?:: Masujiro 
recoiled slightly form the man, his body 
jolting back but his hands did not loosen 
their grip. 
    ::Hai, hai. I guess that answers that 
question. Anyone with shields that well 
developed belongs to Niijima. I have only 
seen shielding that... comprehensive,:: 
Shinichi replied carefully, ::once before.:: He 
flicked his eyes over the mans form before 
he turned to their waiting audience. He 
deliberately ignored the way Masujiro 
tensed. That time had not been good for 
anyone. "Well, this could take longer than 
we thought," he began. "There are ways of 
blocking our techniques and this man has 
been taught them. Not only that, his training 
has been externally reinforced. So while it 
may take a bit longer, it does confirm that 
he belongs to my former student." 
    "Belong?" Misao asked in a quiet voice. 
    "Yes, child. It's one of the reasons he is 
so dangerous. While the Yakuza this 
morning merely work for Niijima, those he 
allows close to him do not have that choice. 
They belong to him, mind and body. They 
are incapable of disobeying him, no matter 
what their personal desires are." He 
glanced at Hiko, aware that the Hiten 
Mitsurugi master would be able to read 
more from his words, so he volunteered the 
information. "This was one of the things 
which convinced us that he was no longer 
sane. There was an incident, however we 
detected it." He looked back at their 
prisoner. "This one was not so lucky. 
Masujiro, continue please." 
    Masujiro nodded slightly, not catching the 
whispered addition, "I wonder how many 
more I am responsible for?" 
    He looked back at the man, examining 
the barrier. He sighed, he thought he could 
break through it but then that would require 
days of exhausting work for both he and 
Shishou repairing the damage that would 
cause. Not to mention the probable months 
of reprogramming to free him of Niijima's 
influence. They had seen this once before. 
<Chikusho Niijima... You've had this one 
for years! This is going to take forever to 
sort out.> He looked back at the barriers, 
examining the patterning closer before 
annoyance set in. <I can't break it, so it 
doesn't matter about damage. I'll just have 
to wake him up and then keep telling him 
we can feel when his is lying, that's if he 
can talk at all. Kuso, why couldn't you have 
accepted your life gracefully Niijima. You 
should be dead, you know it!> Masujiro 
squashed that thought before he narrowed 
himself down to a single point and mentally 
screamed, ::Wake up!!:: 
 
On to the next bit

Jade One
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Thousands of Stores.  Millions of Products.  All in one place.
Yahoo! Shopping: http://shopping.yahoo.com

--------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ----------------------------

    GRAB THE GATOR! FREE SOFTWARE DOES ALL THE TYPING FOR YOU!
Tired of filling out forms and remembering passwords? Gator fills in
forms and passwords with just one click! Comes with $50 in free coupons!
  <a href=" http://clickme.onelist.com/ad/gator4 ">Click Here</a>

------------------------------------------------------------------------