Acknowledgements: Please see end notes.

Kokoro - Heart, Mind and Soul
Part 2
By Jade One

Time Frame: After Saitou's first visit to the Dojo. Kenshin has left to fight Akamatsu Arundo.

The wind whispered through the tree, rustling the leaves gently. Akihisa leaned back into the trunk, enjoying the soft afternoon sun. He could have delegated this job to an underling but this target was one of the two Primes and as such required his personal attention. He needed to know this man, know his strength's but more importantly, know about any weaknesses, especially those which could be used to get close to him. The Hitokiri's physical techniques were better than Akihisa's ability with the sword. After all, Hiten Mitsurugi was the best.

He sighed. He had been watching since just after lunch and still the Battousai had not shown himself. Still, he would have to return sooner or later, if nothing more than to check on the progress of his wounded friend.
    Prehaps I should have done this immediately after Tani? But he couldn't. Either the Battousai had not been there or he had been tied up in directing the search for the other Prime. Both held equal importance. Still, he should have been watching a few days earlier. >From all reports, both from his agents and those prone to gossip, several days ago had been the day to observe the dojo. The Battousai's friend, the minor Yakuza boss, Zanza, now known as the street fighter Sagara Sanosuke, had been attacked at the dojo. Akihisa smiled. It sounded like the work of a certain ex Shinsen Gumi captain he knew, the same one who had been assigned to investigate his attacks on those members of government he had questioned about the Hitokiri's where abouts.

A soft laugh escaped. Those idiots think I am associated with Shishio Makoto. While the idea was good, the means of execution and the eventual leader left a lot to be desired. No, Niijima Akihisa would bow down to no man. Involvement with Shishio, although it may be an interesting diversion and would provide him with a wider resource base, would in the long run, ultimately delay and hinder his plans. Shishio, as the government had realized ten years ago, when they had 'dealt' with him, was a man of the past. It was better for him to remain there.

He looked back over at the dojo, focusing his thoughts. There was still no one visible, but thought, like sound, could travel and he did not necessarily need to see those who were inside. There was nothing out of the ordinary, now... But things could change.

If the attack yesterday was truly the work of Saitou Hajime, it would merely be the opening move. He would be back and soon. And when he returned, the Battousai would be sure to make an appearance. All he had to do was wait and watch and he would see what he desired. It was considerate of Saitou to do his work for him.

Akihisa smiled, considering. Saitou Hajime was certainly an interesting person. True to the Shinsen Gumi in this, the Ishin's Age. A hated, ruthless hunter, a loving, gentle husband. Yes. He certainly was an interesting question and one for another day, Akihisa reminded himself, returning his attention to the dojo. Whether Saitou became an enemy or ally, he was a question for the future.

Ah... Think of the Wolf and he shall appear. Akihisa narrowed his eyes, focusing more than his five senses on the uniformed figure approaching the Kamiya Dojo. There was a smugness about him, as if he thought his presence would provoke violence. Akihisa frowned. Saitou was a confusing man. He shook his head. It was not his concern, refocusing his attention on the Dojo as Saitou slid open the door.

Motion stopped and surprise rippled out. Akihisa felt the response of the figures within the dojo. He looked over at the beings who now shared lives with the Battousai as their surprise faded, replaced by relief in the uniform that Saitou wore. They were children of the Meiji era.

A child. A name, Myojin Yahiko, came to Akihisa's open mind. Young, male with the desperate desire to be strong. An obscure pain of a childhood lost with the death of parents covered now by a sense of peace, the love felt for a new family and the respect for a red haired man. Amusing. The child, Myojin Yahiko, wants to be like the Hitokiri. His mind had known pain but was now covered by light. Akihisa knew him now and shifted his focus.

Another child. Iie! Akihisa reeled back at the presence he touched, squeezing his eyes tight shut in a desperate effort to keep from seeing more. Too late. They were as intense as the Wolf but the manner was different. Earth, air, water, fire. Light and dark. They were all contained and balanced. She shone like the universe reborn. The sun's softest touch, it's harshest burn. Akihisa moaned, gasping in pain as his senses were assaulted, desperately trying to maintain his balance on the branch, clenching his teeth to keep from screaming as thousands of thoughts not his own rose from the city surrounding him, as her presence amplified, expanded his focus. He breathed deep, his eyes opening wide and glazing. He was in ecstasy. He was loosing himself.

Iie! Akihisa forcefully closed his eyes, gasping for breath, he struggled to remember the first lesson, narrowing himself, bringing himself back to the one, his own being before he was lost to the whole. He was covered in sweat, his head light and the world spinning. He leaned back against the trunk, feeling the world return to normal before opening his eyes and focusing, his five senses only, again on the Kamiya Dojo. It had been said that the Battousai was living with a woman and there had been further questions about what he saw in her. What type of woman was she to hold him so? Akihisa now knew, and knowing, desired.

Akihisa could see that the woman was young. Small in statue, like a child but with a woman's curves. Her hair was long, confined by pink silk complementing her eyes. He could see, even from the distance that her eyes were blue, a startling colour, vivid, bright and alive. They were darker than the sky but lighter than the night and as wide and innocent as a new born babe's. She wore purple silk, patterned with white flowers and loose petals. She didn't smile then, but he could imagine that radiance. And he knew, from the brief touch before, that her mind was a vibrant, as deep and as strong as anyone's he had ever touched. She had filled his being, amplified his powers, without knowing. What could she do if she was focused to help me, focused, controlled only for me? What could, or rather, what couldn't I do with such power? What would she be like to love? What would I feel from her love?

He watched them lead Saitou into the dojo. Now all he had to do was wait.

The sun was setting. Sinking through the sky stained pink by its brilliance. The clouds reflected the hue but Akihisa paid it only the slightest attention. The woman, after leading Saitou into the dojo had moved about the house. He assumed she was attending to the Battousai's friend and the woman doctor who was treating him. She had then gone to stand outside waiting for the Battousai's return. And so he had had a good chance to observe her, memorize her form and being and carefully probe around the edges of her mind. He had no wish to be trapped again. The ache, the desire he had felt since he had recovered from initial contact had only intensified. Beautiful. Perfect. They were the only words he could use. Anything else bespoke faults which were not there.

A burst of light, her mind exploded with joy, happiness, even as her face came alive with her smile. He gasped. Her presence again causing pleasure so intense it was pain. His eyes flickered to the road, confirming what her mind had told him. The Battousai had returned. She sings for him.

He looked to his target. The man was small, belying the power that he wielded. His clothes were dusty and head was bent but he raised it at her call. His hair was red and the scarred cheek was unmistakable. His eyes... He looked again. His eyes, they weren't the yellow of the Hitokiri Tani remembered. They were instead a deep violet and showed his weariness from whatever task had consumed him today. They brightened at her call and touch. Akihisa watched as the woman fussed around him, noting his reactions from what seemed the slightest words. He could feel many layers to this man but through them all he could feel the urge to protect, to comfort, the feeling of love for the woman before him. He understood.

The Hitokiri Battousai was the ultimate killer but implied in that title was the ultimate survivor. They had adjusted to the era they had created, creating for themselves a being who could live in the new world, with the new laws. The Rurouni, the swordsman and the hitokiri. Connected, nested within each other but separate facets of the man Himura Kenshin. He had claimed, on all levels, the woman for his own, the Hitokiri's one weakness.

Kamiya Kaoru. He felt again her presence, seeing her smile. Beautiful, perfect. Taken. The word slipped in, seeing her with the Battousai but it was quickly dealt with. Taken by him, but she has not accepted the Hitokiri yet. Ownership must be mutual in this. Akihisa smiled, watching the couple retreat into the dojo. Things were about to get interesting.

He watched the battle unfolding before him, thankful that the door was left open. Only a foot but it was enough. He could feel the hatred of the men as they measured each other, feel the sharp stab of guilt and anguish as the child and woman realized who they had let into the dojo. He watched Saitou prepare for battle and felt the turmoil in the Rurouni's mind give way to calm calculations of the swordsman. He felt, rather than saw the man's eyes change from violet to blue. Not the Hitokiri, not yet.

Saitou waited in the first form of gatotsu. His calm assurance that the battle was coming was the single point of peace in the sea of thought. He watched, the swordsman held back by the woman he loved. He could feel her anguish, could feel the thoughts pass between them and knew that the urge protect had won.

Akihisa closed his eyes, relaxing his senses, leaning his head back into the embrace of the tree in the moment of quiet before the clash. The Hitokiri was strong but there was a weakness, a part which could be driven to a new purpose.

He watched the initial clash and felt the pain of three beings as blood was drawn. Saitou was better than the swordsman. It would take the Hitokiri to win. He watched the woman stand before the Battousai, baring him from Saitou. He could feel and see her determination, her desire to protect him. He knew Saitou would not hurt the woman. She was not 'Aku' despite her connection to his enemy. But that was not what he was focused on. The Hitokiri emerged.

The pain was pushed aside. The calm of the swordsman being replaced by the absolute silence of thought of the Hitokiri. The Hitokiri did not think, did not reflect upon their actions. They acted, they fought, they killed. They were one with their blade, the true heart of sword. This one was perfect, weakness acknowledged and countered, this was the Hitokiri Battousai. Eyes shone amber in the twilight.

He could feel Kaoru's anguish, her desparate need to stop the fight, to have the Rurouni return to her. Aa. She has not accepted the Hitokiri. She wants the Rurouni. His eyes narrowed, pushing deeper into her turmoil. But she will accept the Hitokiri. In time, even as he has claimed her, she will claim the man Himura Kenshin, both light and dark.

He watched the next clash and saw confirmed what he had already felt. The Hitokiri dealt a blow to Saitou's neck. A true katana would have killed. To Akihisa the battle was over. The Hitokiri felt more focused, stronger and had just proven it on his enemies body although he doubted Saitou saw it that way. Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu when wielded by one who could kill was the ultimate technique. In the changing of era's it had not passed to another.

He could see the others, the wounded street fighter and the woman who had been nursing him moving around the dojo to see the combatants. They couldn't stop the conflict in progress. Huh. That's odd. Beneath the concern for the red haired swords man both of them felt, there was in the man, fear and not just of Saitou. Yokohama? Akihisa pursued its source.

A shout. The sharp clatter of hooves against cobbles. Akihisa turned his head sharply. Ah... Okubo Toshimichi sent Saitou to meet the Battousai. I wonder if he realizes that his old pet is gone, given now to the woman and that the Wolf was never his to being with? The battle is over for today.
    Akihisa jumped down from the branch. What ever the Director of Internal Affairs wants with the Battousai, it does not concern me. It's probably that maniac Shishio. Niijima Akihisa had the information he sought and now needed to plan, to consider and to decide.

He walked into the night, glancing back towards the dojo with the thought. I will learn what her love is like. She will focus only for me. She will sing only for me.

End Part 2

Notes

1. I am tying both the manga and anime together here and then using the bits that fit. So where Raijuta in the anime is when the Kenshin Gumi go on holiday, Raijuta in the manga occurs in Tokyo. I have chosen the anime Raijuta.

2. That note leads into a HUGE thank you to Sylvia for loaning me her copies of the manga! Even if I can't read Thai any better than I read Japanese, I can look at the pictures to see the order of events.

3. Thank you to Tatsuko for helping to create the names of some fighting schools, even though they are not mentioned yet! Part 3 definitely names one of them.

4. Thank you to Serizawa Kamo, Tatsuko and Sarah Williams for giving me the translations of those words I asked for. Thank you also to Elizabeth, Larraine Lage, Serizawa Kamo (again) and Sarah Williams for answering the other question on Kaoru. I think it became clearer here.

5. Thank you to P. Rico for asking about Japanese names just as I was about to and to Tatsuko (again), Reform School Girl (Julie Anna) and Madam Hydra for responding with such wonderful suggestions.

6. I know I am glossing over some very important parts in the RK timeline but while I need to go over them for the purposes of illustrating my characters I don't want to spend forever on them. I feel that people should enjoy them the way Watsuki-sensei wrote them.

C&C is always appreciated.