Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. None of the characters from
Rurouni Kenshin belong to me. They are all Nobuhiro Watsuki's creations
and I acknowledge all rights that are his and the companies affiliated
with RK.


Chapter Five:

It was dawn when he finally found the hut. Urasuji sent the horse
cantering towards it before he ducked behind a tree. Fujiwara and
Kenichi were already in place. A well-aimed pebble to the horse's rear
made the animal whinny. A second one made it skitter nervously. "Come
on," the young man thought somewhat desperately. She had to come out.
Shinomori would be exhausted from his hasty travel to Aizu and
yesterday's trip. The horse was making enough noise to rouse the doctor
but not him.

Then the door opened a crack. Urasuji held his breath before smiling
triumphantly as Takani Megumi emerged, looking wary but leaving the
safety of the hut to try and secure the horse. "She must be banking on
Shinomori's promise that we wouldn't know about this place." In a way
that was true, they hadn't known where to find it although they had
heard about it.

The horse danced just out of her reach, sensing her nervous urgency. She
really was a beautiful woman, one of the prettiest he had ever seen.
What a pity he would have to kill her. But maybe if the other two
delayed Shinomori enough, there would be time to have some fun ...
.........

"Oh you dumb beast." Megumi gritted her teeth and reached for the reins.
She had just snagged them when she noticed how the horse suddenly laid
its ears flat back against its head and showed the whites of its eyes.
She didn't know a lot about horses but it was plain that the horse was
spooked.

Sudden fear filled her but it was too late. Someone struck her hard on
the back of her neck. The horse shrilled loudly, would have trampled her
but she was already being borne off on someone's shoulder,
semi-conscious. It occurred to Megumi that she was going to die but her
last thought was of how very angry Aoshi would be with the carelessness
of her actions.
.........

The sound of thrashing hooves and the angry neigh sent him bolting up.
Megumi was missing. Aoshi's blood turned cold and drawing his twin
kodachi, he made for the door and thus avoided, by pure luck, the katana
that stabbed through the wall where that he had been standing next to a
moment before.

As always during each fight, preternatural calm filled him as he slashed
downwards, one kodachi one top of the other and cut right through the
sword. A kick sent the already battered wall down and Aoshi lunged at
his attacker. Like his previous assailants, this one was dressed in
black with a half mask covering his face. But the eyes betrayed his
shock and fear as Aoshi cut him down without hesitation. Warm blood
arced through the early morning air and a few drops landed on Aoshi.

The attack from behind was utterly silent but Aoshi had already sensed
the other ninja who had been circling him. Parrying the blow, he locked
eyes with the shinobi who was livid with rage at the loss of his
companion. Then his second kodachi flashed in. It was a testament to the
other man's speed that Aoshi's blade took off his mask and not half his
face. A line of blood dripped from his cheek.

"Get out of my way," Aoshi demanded. "I don't have time to waste killing
you so you might as well leave."

"Never. I won't give you a chance to get the doctor back. It's your
fault that she has to die. One more victim to pay for the sins of
another eh, Shinomori Aoshi? But this time, it's not your sins the
onna-sensei will pay for."

"What are you babbling about?" Aoshi asked impatiently before he
realised the significance of what the man was saying. With narrowed eyes
he observed the shinobi anew. He was very young, younger than Aoshi and
slightly older than Misao. "What feud do you have with the Oniwabanshuu?
You aren't old enough to have taken part in the Bakumatsu no Doran. And
how is it that you know the routes we take and our hiding places?"

The shinobi hesitated but in the end he spoke. "Just so you know that we
aren't unjustified in what we have done. My name is Kenichi and my
parents served the Shogunate as shinobi as well. Their group were never
part of the Oniwabanshuu but were related as an affiliate group, part of
the network of spies against the Ishin shishi rebels. But your Okashira
and his right hand man, Okina sold us out and the hittokiri annihilated
all but a few. It is from them that we the younger generation learnt of
your betrayal of us."

"It's a lie. Okina would never do such a thing." The old man had not
even betrayed Battousai whom he had known for barely two weeks, to
Aoshi. "If I'm not wrong, your Okashira was the one who betrayed us. The
Oniwabanshuu managed to escape from the trap but enraged by the failure,
the Ishin shishi decided to eliminate your sect because they had no more
use for them.

Kenichi glared at him and snarled, "That's a lie, Shinomori."

"Why would I lie to you? I'm not in danger of losing my life. I have
nothing to prove," Aoshi pointed out calmly. Kenichi paled and took a
step back as Aoshi's words registered. "Now please, step aside."

"Even if what you say is true, I won't betray my friend." He raised his
sword.

"Then, I'm sorry Kenichi. I really don't want to hurt you but you stand
in my way of saving an innocent person."

Kenichi gasped as Aoshi blurred and a seeming stream on illusions
surrounded him. He stabbed ineffectually at them before realising that
the best defence would be to wait for the moment Aoshi struck. It was a
sound assessment, but Kenichi did not possess the speed or skill to stop
Aoshi.

"GOKOU JUUJI!"

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