'Masaka!!' Kenshin stared at the young man in front of him, wearing a big grin and flying cloak - the two of them standing in the snow filled clearing in the forest. 'Naze... Why is this Miyamoto Keisuke??!'

He immediately thought about the stories he heard from Kaoru, from Genzai-sensei, and their cop friends Hachi and Kuma... The one who was going to inherit the role of master for Kamiya Kasshin Ryu... the one Kaoru...

"Oi!!" Keisuke exclaimed, moving closer so that they were inches apart in the face, "Why are you spacing out??"

"Aa... Iya... bezuni de gozaru..." Kenshin stammered, quickly backing away from him. 'He's a ghost isn't he?? I'm imagining it! Because... this guy cannot be alive!!'

"Tsubame-chan and I visited Keisuke's grave..." Kaoru had told him when he returned home after the incident in Mitsukou, "It was hard for me to return to that place, demo... I had to say goodbye one more time... It was the hardest thing I could do the second time... the first time, I felt a bit stronger..."

Keisuke crossed his arms and glared at him. "What are you thinking about, Battousai-san?? If you want a rematch, I'll happily give it to you later. First thing's first, there's a killer out here that I have to find... You can come with me if you like."

"The killer de gozaru... Are you talking about the one who is claiming to be Battousai?" Kenshin asked. The guy nodded. "Sou... You must know that I am acquainted with the killer and it must be me who battles him."

"Oh, says who?? Not if I find him first!" he chuckled, ready to bolt off into the woods. But Kenshin quickly snagged him by the cloak. Keisuke looked back at him. "Nan da yo?"

"Are you really... Keisuke-dono... The one Kaoru talked so much about... the one she watched die right in front of her??"

"Do you think I'm a ghost?" he asked in turn, wearing a mischievous grin, "Do you believe people can come back from the dead?" Kenshin couldn't answer; he felt so confused. "Go ahead," Keisuke noted, "Punch me..."

"Honto de gozaru kaa???"

"Sou yo! Let's see if I'm a ghost... or a figment of your imagination." He then closed his eyes and started to concentration. "I'm getting ready for Battousai-san's punch..."

Kenshin found this absurd. 'He wants me to punch him? I believe in ghosts, but he doesn't seem to be a ghost... And that time we fought in the woods... the attacks felt real... but I didn't have any of time when I woke...'

Keisuke opened one eye, his hands clenched at his side. "I'm ready when you are, Battousai! Give me your best!"

Kenshin decided to go along with it. If this might prove that he wasn't going crazy, he would gladly do it. So Kenshin readied a fist and went for his target...

"Aa! I changed my mind!!" Keisuke gasped, catching his fist with a hand and hurling Kenshin over his shoulder.

"ORORORORORO!!" Kenshin gasped, lying swirly eyed on the ground. "Sugoi reflexes... de gozaru..."

"Daijoubu daze??" Keisuke asked, kneeling down to him. By now, the two were completely covered with snowflakes. "Oi... we better get out of here before we catch our death."

"You're already dead!!" Kenshin exclaimed, leaping up to his feet. He didn't know why this really bothered him. If he had been Battousai, this guy would be on the top of his list to finish off. Looking at the taller fellow, he felt a strange rivalry... and connection. But then everything started to go fuzzy.

"Battousai-san...?"

"Oro..." Kenshin uttered as he passed out and fell face first into the snow.

* * * * * * * * * * *
Yahiko watched with slanted eyes as Tsubame poured him tea. The group were sitting around and having lunch. Outside was so cold so they closed the doors. Bits of sunlight peered through the holes in the wall. Sounds of chatter and eating were loud in his ears, but he concentrated darkly on the kind hostess.

"Nani?" she finally asked, completely aware of this vigil, "Doushita no, Yahiko-kun? Itai desu ka?"

"Iya... I'm fine." he uttered, still wearing that look, "It's just... I had no idea that sono yarou would show up here. I can't believe you didn't tell me."

"Aa! It was going to be a surprise!" Yutaro replied from his seat next to Tsubame. He put down his bowl of rice and moved over to Yahiko. "You're not happy to see me??"

"Why should I!"

"Jaa... I thought we were friends, if not training partners... Honestly, I felt we left on good terms."

Tsubame looked back and forth at the two boys. 'Yahiko-kun is upset because he is injured and cannot have the rematch he promised they would have when they met again... Demo... Yahiko-kun is also upset about...'

"Why'd you have to show up now..." Yahiko sighed, lowering his head, "Do you know what this means? Now that I am injured, that makes you... the number one student of Kamiya Dojo."

Tsubame watched the fist clench against the futon. 'By failing to defend the school, Yahiko-kun's pride was hurt the most... it's the greatest wound he could receive...'

"Chigaimasu."

All eyes turned towards Yutaro. He put both hands on Yahiko's shoulders and looked him in the eye.

"You're wrong, Yahiko... I didn't come to take your place. I'm not going to do anything to ruin our friendship. It's the most important to me than anything."

"Yutaro..."

Tsubame sat there, the silent spectator as the two friends slowly smiled at each other. 'Nothing could break the bond of that friendship... Such a connection... Sometimes I feel envy, because it's something that I don't have myself... Demo... watching these two... I feel happy to know them...'

* * * * * * * * * *
After lunch, Kaoru and Megumi left to pick up some supplies in town. "Are you sure its safe?" Megumi asked, watching the younger woman carry the baby with her as they walked down the sidewalk, "For you to be moving around."

"I'm not going to be a coward," Kaoru replied, "I'm not going to run away from anything."

"Ara, being brave doesn't account for your health condition. If you don't take care of yourself, what are you going to do if those creeps show up? I still think we should ask Ken-san to come home. Especially since my idiot of a husband refuses to be a bodyguard."

"I already made it clear I don't need a bodyguard," Kaoru noted. Kenji laughed at the thought what happened this morning when Megumi tried to suggest the idea, but Kaoru just sent Sanosuke flying across the room with a good kick. "Everything else still works, ne?"

"Stubborn..." Megumi sighed, "Don't you see? You can't use your hands... you can't use kenjutsu... You won't have anything left to use if you break everything else in the process of making up for the loss."

"I'll always have my heart and my head." Kaoru replied, "Even if I'm beaten down, I won't give up. That's what I've learned all these years. If I give up then everything might as well be for nothing."

The two women stopped when they saw a frantic Tae running out into the street from her restaurant. "Someone help me!" she cried, stumbling and falling to the dirt.

"Aa! Tae-san, what's wrong??" Megumi asked as she helped up the other woman up, "Your restaurant isn't open yet, ne? What problems are you having...?" She then spotted someone coming out of the restaurant. "Anata wa...!"

"Cheh, what a pleasant surprise!" said the smug young man, wiping his drippy chin of sauce, "Would you like to join me for a free lunch??"

As Kenji began crying, Kaoru glared at the intruder. "Tsueng..."

"It's not free!!" Tae exclaimed tearfully, "You stay out of my kitchen, you barbarian free-loader!!!"

Tsueng completely ignored her and walked towards the mother and baby. "Kamiya-san, I can't believe you dared to get up and walk around in your condition. Don't you have any better common sense??"

"Baka!" Kaoru snapped, "You can threaten me all you like, but I won't be scared off by the likes of you. Tell Kiheh they'll never have my school."

"You're a brave little lady... Kamiya-san..." Tsueng said, a smile curling at his lip, "I was told by my father that you Kamiya are stubborn and won't give up so easily... Demo... You're only human..."

Suddenly his threads flew from his sleeve and snagged Kenji right from Kaoru's arms. The crying baby landed in Tsueng's arm. "WAAAAAAAAA!!" Kenji cried, grabbing at the guy's face, "WAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

"Give back my baby!!!" Kaoru exclaimed, anger boiling in her voice, "You bastard!! I'm warning you!!"

"How about a trade?? The school for this kid??"

"NANI YO!? YOU BASTARD!!"

Megumi quickly restrained the raging girl. "Calm down! This guy may not look serious, but he could hurt Kenji! Be careful what you do, Kaoru-chan!"

"H-Hai..." Kaoru uttered, trying to calm down. 'But this bastard is making me mad!!' She could see that Tsueng was having trouble holding the baby still. Apparently Kenji wasn't cooperative in a stranger's arms. 'Kenji...'

Suddenly water from the balcony fell on Tsueng. "EH?" Drenched he looked up to see who it was. "OI!!"

Tae had slipped out of their site and went up there with a pot of water. While Tsueng was distracted, Kaoru charged at him and knocked him onto the ground. "Megumi-san!! Please take Kenji!!" she yelled as she managed to pin down Tsueng, "Hayaku!! Get him out of here!!"

"H-Hai!" Megumi cried, grabbing the baby and running for the street. Suddenly, she saw a speeding carriage coming right at her. "KYAAAAAAA!!"

"WAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" Kenji wailed.

"IYA! DAME!!" Kaoru leapt up and pushed the two out of the way.

Megumi watched in horror, as the carriage couldn't stop in time. "KAORU-CHAAAAAAAN!!!!"

* * * * * * * * *
Kenshin slowly woke. This time, he was in someplace warm and he could hear a fire burning. 'What happened...? Oh, yeah... I was dreaming... It was a dream that I ran into that person...'

But then he sat up and saw that he was under a blanket in a cave somewhere. He also saw Keisuke steering something in a pot. "ORO?!"

"Aa! So you've woken up!" Keisuke said, going over to him, "You passed out from the cold and I'm assuming hunger." He paused to feel his forehead. "You still have a temperature. You better rest now, Battousai-san."

"D-Demo..." Kenshin stammered, feeling the flesh of the hand against his forehead, "I'm not hallucinating??"

"Maybe... You're really burning up, y'know." Keisuke noted, giving him a bowl of the hot soup he just made, "But I know you feel real confused from stuff you heard."

"Aa..." Kenshin uttered, as he tasted the soup. It was good and filled him with a warm feeling inside. 'I was really ailing before... this person saved me... Demo...'

Keisuke slipped his arms into his gi and gazed off towards the entrance of the cave, where the snow was still falling. "For Kaoru-chan-tachi, I died... I died because I wanted to... because I killed a man."

"I heard that story..." Kenshin uttered, "Kaoru said it was an accident, that she forgave you..."

"Sou... Demo, ore... ore wa..." Keisuke paused to run a hand through his spiky hair, "I couldn't forget it... I believed that I had disqualified myself from Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, soshite..."

"Keisuke-dono...?" Kenshin worriedly stared at him. There was a great pause.

Keisuke then forced a smile. "Has Kaoru-chan ever told you the story of her parents? How Sensei promised Kaoru-chan's mother he would never kill a man, even if it were for her sake?"

"Aa... I've heard it..."

"I wanted to make the same promise..." Keisuke sighed, leaning his chin onto his hand, "Demo na... some things just don't turn out the way you expect..."

Kenshin watched the young man sit there, losing himself in the regrets of the past. 'There's no doubt about it... This is the real Keisuke-dono... But how...?"

Keisuke finally got up to pour sand onto the fire. He then turned towards the samurai and gave him another cheerful face. "I've been watching over Kaoru-chan for a long time... I'm glad that she's grown up so well. Arigatou for looking out for her, Battousai-san."

"Aa... iya... it was my pleasure. I really care about Kaoru."

"Sou... I can tell." he uttered, his red eyes reflecting the dying flames, "Shall we get going then, Battousai-san?"

"Oro? To where?"

"To where the killer is..." Keisuke replied, "And get this over with so you can go home..."

* * * * * * * * * *
Back in Tokyo, Kaoru had been brought to the hospital to look after her wounds from the carriage collision. "At least it's not as bad as we expected," Genzai noted, "Kaoru-chan was able to brace herself and the carriage had slowed down a bit... Daga..."

"But what?" Yutaro asked, holding onto the weepy Kenji, "What's wrong with Kaoru-san??"

"She hit her head really bad and may have a concussion."

"Daijoubu!" Sanosuke replied, "Ain't much in there, so she should be okay! Let's all check on her!" He turned towards his wife who had distanced herself from the group. "Oi! Coming with us, Fox?"

"Iie..." Megumi uttered, her face very tearful. While the group went into the room, she looked down at her hands. "Kaoru-chan..." she sobbed quietly to herself, "Ano baka..."

In the room, Kenji had calmed down and turned happy at the sight of his mother. She lay in the futon, her arms completely bandaged from the bruises. Luckily she hadn't broken anything else and she was completely conscious.

"You're going through a hell of a lot without Kenshin here..." Sanosuke noted, as he and Yutaro with Kenji gathered closer, "How are you feeling, Jou-chan??"

"Aa...?" she uttered, blinking her eyes, "Jou chan... Ken shin... Nani...?"

"Eh?" Sanosuke asked, "What are you talking about, Jou-chan?"

Yutaro's eyes went grave. "Masaka... Kaoru-san wa…!”

Kaoru just looked back out them with a blank stare. “Who are all of you…?”