Kaoru knelt down beside her fallen husband, blood splattered on the white snow. A line of red was running down his mouth, and he looked slightly daze, “Kenshin!” she gasped, putting her hands on him, “Kenshin, speak to me… please…!”
”Kaoru…” he uttered, weakly smiling at her, “Daijoubu de gozaru. I just got hit with my own attack. Since I knew what it was – I was able to prepare my body for it. It’s just a couple scratches…”
”A couple scratches?!” she exclaimed emotionally, leaning her face down onto her tear-splattered hands, “You made me so worried… Kenshin, I’m so glad you’re okay. For a second there it… it looked like…”
He lifted his hand to the back of her head, stroking her hair, “Suman. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
”I know,” she uttered, smiling back. She then released herself from him and turned towards the man who had done this, “Yashiitomo...”
He grinned, “So we meet again. Last time I underestimated you and your friends, but this time I will not make the same mistake. This time, I won’t stop, not until I have your blood on this sword here.” he said, lifting up the blade, “It’s time to say good-bye, Kamiya Kaoru.”
While detaining the paralyzed prisoner, Tsueng, Hachi turned towards his wife, “Shimako, could you run into town and get me some help, like a doctor and the police too. It might get out of hand and this guy is definitely going to jail.”
“Uhn, I will!” she replied, getting up. She paused and turned back, “Kaoru-chan, catch!!” Shimako then threw over a shinai, Kaoru catching it with one hand, “Nee! Kick his ass!!” she chimed, before taking into a run.
Kaoru smiled after her, then looked back towards Yashiitomo. ‘He - must - be stronger than last time. But for him to beat Kenshin’s Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki…’ She closed her eyes, remembering the recent scene of Kenshin getting hit, his body crashing into the snow, the blood running from his wounds, ‘He’ll definitely pay for this! … aa?!’ She paused, feeling a tug on her kimono. She slowly turned around and saw Kenshin getting up, “Dame! You mustn’t…!”
“I told you – just a couple scratches. I’m okay. Just don’t leave me behind, Kaoru.” he uttered, smiling sweetly, “Let’s finish him off… together.”
“Kenshin…” She looked into his determined face then nodded her head, “Hai, let’s do this.”
Yashiitomo sighed, “Stop making me wait… ” He swung his sword, a vast gush of razor winds coming their way, “DIE ALREADY!!”
Kenshin grabbed Kaoru and leaped out of the way. The wounds he had received were just scratches to him, for he was back to his normal pace. He then turned back towards another incoming attack, “DOU RYU SEN!!!” The flying earth and snow collided with the razor winds, the attacks returning to their users. ‘Dou Ryu Sen was deflected?!’ Kenshin gasped as Kaoru braced him from the incoming rocks, “Kaoru!”
“Daijoubu!” she replied, “Demo… the only way to attack him is from up close. So how…” She stopped as multiple attacks came at them again, coming from all directions. “Hachi! Take care of Shizuka-san!” she called as she and Kenshin dodged the quick paced air raid, “Leave this to me!”
Kaoru jumped backwards onto the top of the fence to give herself a safe starting point before she leapt down and rushed Yashitomo, shinai ready. But as she came up close to him and prepare to attack, he simply grinned, kicking snow into her face then lifting his sword, “How about an eye matching the one you gave me…?”
“KAORU!” Kenshin cried out, as she was temporarily blinded and open for a hit. Thinking quickly, he tried another long range attack, “HI RYU SEN!!” The blast of rocks diverted Yashiitomo for a little bit, giving Kaoru enough time to knock the sword right out of his hands with a mighty swing. In retaliation, he struck her across the face, sending her crashing into the ground.
“Hm…” Yashiitomo uttered watching Kenshin rush to Kaoru’s side, helping her back onto her feet, “So that’s it…”
Kenshin supported Kaoru up, her head aching as she struggled to stand, “Without his sword, his long range attacks are less dangerous,” she explained, her lip bleeding a bit, “Still, with or without his sword, we can’t attack him from afar. Soushite, his hand slicing technique is almost unavoidable if you get close…”
”Then why did you…?”
”With his sword, he could destroy this entire place – and possibly harm Shizuka-san or Hachi. I can’t afford to have anyone else hurt in this battle.” she uttered, her hand tightening on his arm, “Kenshin, I’ll find a way to him. You have to believe me…”
He stared into her eyes. She knew what she was talking about, having fought Yashiitomo before – having a bond within battle since the first time they clashed swords. But Yashiitomo was also a student of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. Surely he knew all her moves. Also, none of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu had been affected on him. ‘Naze?’
Kaoru released herself from him and picked up her shinai. Behind her, part of the wall had been eaten away by the multiple attacks. She could see Yashiitomo’s humored smile, watching over her as though he knew something she didn’t. A gust of wind blew between them just before he finally spoke.
“For the rest of your life… until the day you finally die… I will hunt you down like a dog.” he declared, “And one by one, the people surrounding you will disappear as so before… Do you remember? This damned empty dojo… Your friends… even your own father… not one person - not even one would stay with you… how easy I can make that happen again! I’ll bring hell to you if you just don’t lay down and die!”
”Kaoru…” Kenshin uttered, staring up to her. Her face looked stricken, as she lowered it down at the ground. Her shoulders trembled a bit, her hands clutching the shinai. After a pause, another gust of wind came through them. “Ki-sama…” he growled, “Shut the f—k up! I won’t let you get to her like that!! When I’m done with you…!!!!”
Without any hesitation, Kenshin charged at him, leaving a trail of flying snow behind his warpath. Kaoru lifted her head, single tears splashing out from the corners of her eyes, “KENSHIN… MATTE!!!”
”Her life doesn’t belong to you, Yashiitomo!” he yelled, the sakabatou at hand, “Like hell you’ll ever get your way! Not as long I’m around!!”
“Then I’ll have to ‘do something about you’, won’t I?” Yashiitomo chuckled, getting exactly what he wanted, “Come at me, Battousai! I’ll make you swallow your words!” He readied his stance, his hands lifting, open and waiting, “Come! COME!” he laughed.
“TEME!!!” Kenshin came within a couple feet before he saw an opening. Leaping high up in the air, he came crashing down on him, leaving him down in the snow. Kenshin landed behind him, sheathing his sword, “RYU TSUI SEN!!”
The opponent down, Kenshin started eased himself up from his bended knee. All of a sudden, he felt a sharp pain – on his chest and thighs. Clutching the wound on his upper body, he crumpled back down onto the ground. Laughing, Yashiitomo pulled himself up, “Now to get rid of you…”
”YOU BASTARD!!” Kaoru yelled, running towards them. Yashiitomo simply kicked Kenshin aside, rivers of blood flowing on the white floor. Something more interesting was coming his way, his one and only target… rage in her eyes. At last able to get what he had wanted, he prepared for the kill.
‘He’s much stronger than we thought…’ Kenshin watched the blurry scene, ‘Kaoru knows his moves inside and out - she should know how to beat him – but now… she’s not thinking straight. This is what he wanted… he used me to break her concentration… but why couldn’t I do anything… ?” His eyes then widened, ‘Dakara! I’m not trying to read him properly either… he’s using both of us!!’
Kenshin grabbed hold of his sakabatou and tried to pull himself up to his feet. He only found himself painfully falling back down, “Kaoru…!” He saw her clash with him, knocked aside, then get back up again, going for more, “Because of me… Kaoru, don’t! DON’T!!!”
Tears were in her eyes as she fought, took in the attacks and returned to her feet, strangely unfeeling to any pain, “Damn you… if you continue to hurt another person I love, I swear… I SWEAR, YASHIITOMO - I WILL BREAK EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING IN MY PATH!!”
‘Including all that you believe and strived to protect…’ Kenshin thought, ‘I been through this all too well. I’ve walked this path before… and I’m sure Yashiitomo has too… and once you cross that line, it’s too hard to turn back – Kaoru! KAORU!!’
”Stupid girl… you can’t kill me with that wooden sword of yours!” he charted, only to have his skull suddenly bashed in, the impact drawing blood. He let out a cry, his eye patch falling down to the ground, “Now I remember what you’re capable of! This is what I wanted!! Ahahahah!” he laughed at the sky, redness flowing down his pupiless eye, “At last – I shall have - that boy’s- technique and Kasshin Ryu will be gone forever!”
‘Masaka… Keisuke-dono’s technique… was capable of killing?!’ Kenshin finally got himself on his feet, gazing up ahead of him, trying to move forward. Kaoru was already surpassing her body’s limit – Yashiitomo obviously having the upper hand as her one-trackness had left her completely vulnerable. ‘Kaoru… forgive me…’
“DOU RYU SEN!!!”
The mixture of snow and earth collided with her form, sending her down in a quick swoop. She lay, stunned and paralyzed. “Ken… shin…” she uttered, tearfully into the snow, “Dou… shite… ?”
He limped towards them, sakabatou in his hand, Yashiitomo backing away for the time being, laughing all the while. Kenshin stopped and knelt beside her, his hand touching her cheek, “Suman, Kaoru… you’re the last person in the world I ever wanted to hurt… but it was the only way I could reach you… I almost lost you there.”
”Kenshin…” She closed her eyes for a moment, and then slowly smiled, “Gomen …”
”It’s okay. Demo… what do we do now? He’s playing on our emotions… there’s no way we can take him on individually. You know him better than any of us… Kaoru, please think!”
“His hands…” she uttered, “Before he uses his technique, he prepares himself as though he is using kendo. It is natural to him because he was once a student of Kasshin Ryu. Demo, instead of shinai – he’s using that deadly wind technique that he must’ve learned somewhere but adapted elements of kendo to it. Once you reach the level of concentration… your body is prepared for anything, able to counter anything.”
“Kendo?” he murmured, rubbing his chin. He suddenly felt her hand lock around his wrist, “Kaoru, nan de gozaru?”
”Kiss me, Kenshin. Let me know… I’m still ‘me’. I don’t know anymore.”
Kenshin first took a quick glance towards Yashiitomo, making sure they were safe. He then leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. He gave her all he could, neither minding the taste of blood. He could feel her arms pulling him into her, feeling her come alive again. ‘Kaoru… okaeri!’
As the kiss lasted a couple more minutes, Hachi shook his head and sighed, “Aa hell - now’s not the time for this!” He turned to his side where Shizuka was gaping at the smooching couple, “Ch! Now this is offending Shizuka too! Ya think they’d wait till after the battle!”
“L...little...K…Kaoru…san…?!”
Kaoru drew away slowly, causing clouds of hot breath to surround them, “Kenshin, arigatou…” She kissed him twice briefly, “For this… and for giving me an idea.”
”Oro?”
Kaoru was on her feet, grinning cheerfully. Behind her, the stunned audience and aroused Kenshin were confused. She simply picked up her worn shinai and rested it on her shoulder. She then took in a deep breath, before bellowing, “YASHIITOMO – YOU BASTARD… IT ENDS HERE!!!!”