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Disclaimer: *sigh* Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Sony and Nobuhiro Watsuki...and we all know Watsuki-sensei's a hopeless fanboy so he probably wouldn't care how much fanfiction is written about his characters, in fact he'd probably read it! *gets off soapbox* As for Sony, I'm not making any profit, K?

I can't tell you how much all your reviews [at ffnet] mean to me; thank you so much for the support! I spent over half a year wanting to write this fic but I wasn't sure if anyone would read it...you all proved me wrong ^_^ Here it is, the second half of the plot!

Prism - Chapter 8b

The party walked in silence back to the dojo. Sano tried once to carry Battousai for Kenshin, but the rurouni warned him off with a glare. It was clear that the rurouni, who so far had been very laid-back and gentle, was furious with his younger self, and no one dared pierce the wall of silence that surrounded the pair. Kaoru trailed behind her husband with her head bowed, her normally carefree face showing the strain of that afternoon's events. She stared at her sandals as she walked and honestly wondered where things were going to go from here. Behind them walked Akari, wife of their current enemy, and no one was sure how Kenshin intended to explain to her what her husband had done. The others should be here soon as well...what are we going to tell them? This just keeps getting worse and worse.

Kaoru lifted her head and focused on Shinta, who was trotting beside the rurouni, trying his best to keep up. That was when she noticed it: a slight darkness on the back of his head. There was something matted in his hair, and as she looked closer she realized with shock that it was dried blood. Blood? But he didn't get hit with anything... The blood was in the same place Battousai had been struck with the rock. Eyes widening Kaoru looked at the rurouni's head and saw a little bit of blood there as well, in the same place. What in the world?

"Sano." Kenshin waited for his friend to open the gate, then led the party inside. Without a word he carried Battousai to the couple's room, Sano opening doors for him as he went. Kaoru wondered why Sano was being so helpful for a change, but she could sense that something was different between him and the rurouni. They seemed to have a certain companionship they hadn't had that morning when she'd left. Curious, Kaoru wondered what they had discussed while she was gone. Maybe I can ask Kenshin...later.

Shinta followed close behind his older self, his expression anxious. Inside the room the rurouni carefully lay Battousai on a futon, draping a blanket over him with surprising tenderness given his angry expression. The rurouni stood and studied the boy's sleeping face, which seemed deceptively young and innocent. "Let's go into the dining room," he said quietly to the group standing behind him. "Kaoru, would you make some tea, please?"

Akari sat on one side of the table, feeling very isolated from the group of strangers sitting across from her. They seemed like a united front of judges, ready to sentence her for a crime she didn't even know had been committed, and the evidence they had just finished presenting was nothing short of pure insanity. "Impossible," she whispered, staring into the rurouni's face. "That's impossible! You can't split people apart like that, there's no way! That boy in there-" she pointed in the direction of the bedrooms "-must be your brother or something, and this child is probably your son! How can you sit there and tell me that you are all one in the same and that my Yanagi is responsible, it's nonsense!"

Sano and Kaoru exchanged glances behind the rurouni's back. Her reaction was just as they expected, and they wondered how Kenshin was going to convince her otherwise.

"Trust me Akari-dono," he said quietly, "two days ago I would have agreed with you completely. Ki is a mysterious thing, even to those who know how to sense and use it. However, never have I heard of it being used to physically separate someone's very soul. I'm not sure where Yanagi acquired such knowledge, but it is very dangerous and he must be stopped before he tries this on someone else. As you have seen, my other self is unstable and dangerous. I don't know what's going to become of him if Yanagi refuses to restore us to the way we were. I realize how this must sound to you, but I'm not sure what other proof I can offer besides my word that this is the truth."

"We all do," Kaoru said with conviction, "because we saw it for ourselves, and we know our Kenshin. He has no family besides us, and he and I have no children of our own. Besides which, he is a terrible liar, you'd know it if he was making all this up."

Sano chuckled. "She's got a point, Kenshin. You're pretty good at leaving stuff out when you want to hide something, but there's a reason you weren't a spy, ne?"

Akari met Shinta's gaze and was surprised by the child's very serious expression, so similar to the older Himura's. "What about you? What do you think of all this?"

Shinta smiled. "It's been nice to be a child again, but I want to be back with Rurouni-san and Battousai-san. We belong together. I am not a whole person, you see; I'm just one part of Himura Kenshin's personality."

Akari stared, stunned by the child's sophisticated speech. "Children...don't often lie about these things, do they?"

"No," Shinta agreed, "they don't." He opened his mouth in a wide yawn. "I'm really tired now though."

Akari smiled; the child, whatever his true age, was simply adorable. "Well you did save me from that other boy, didn't you? Go ahead and sleep." Shinta nodded with a smile and curled up on the floor next the rurouni. He was asleep almost immediately.

"We all have," Akari agreed. The table waited as she sat for a moment, obviously thinking. "My Yanagi did this," she whispered finally, still slightly unbelieving. "How is this possible, Himura-san? I don't really know much about the martial arts."

He sighed. "I'm afraid that I can't really answer that, because I don't know myself. I'll just say that when I knew your husband in Hokkaido he was already fairly skilled with ki, though he was only able to manipulate his own. His strength has increased tremendously then; obviously he has kept his training secret from you, and in secret found a way to split another's ki into separate parts. Has he never given you a sign or reason to believe that anything unusual was going on, Akari-dono?"

Akari debated with herself, trying to decide whether she should say anything or not. She was loyal to her husband, but if what Himura said was true, then Yanagi had done something truly terrible, even....evil. In that case, she had an obligation to put a stop to his behavior. Sakura-san spoke so highly of Himura in Hokkaido, and he seems like a very honest person. My heart says to believe him...and there does seem to be something odd going on with Yanagi. I will trust Himura, for now. "Yanagi," she began, "hasn't been quite himself lately. Actually, he's been behaving strangely for long time...over a year at least." Everyone in the room straightened up at her words. Finally, the information we need! Kaoru thought in relief.

"We came here a week ago," Akari continued. "My husband works in business, mostly with gaijin merchants. It shouldn't be such taxing work for someone like him but lately he's been very tired and irritable when he comes back, and the things he says are just...strange."

Akari opened her mouth to answer when there was a loud knocking at the gate. Yahiko jumped up and ran to open it. "Friends of ours," Kaoru answered both Kenshin and Akari's questioning looks. "We felt they needed to know what was going on."

"I did," Kaoru said firmly, challenging Kenshin with her glare. He frowned but didn't argue further.

"Ken-san!" Megumi rushed into the room and immediately knelt by the rurouni's side. "Tsubame-chan said something had happened to you, are you all right?"

Akari blinked at the sudden appearance of the tall woman doctor and felt a bit overwhelmed as Yahiko reappeared, followed by an elderly man in a doctor's smock and a young girl dressed in a waitress's kimono. A bewildering flurry of greetings and introductions followed, with Kaoru trying to get the three newcomers settled with some tea while also trying to calm Megumi.

"How could you have gotten hurt in the market, didn't you take care of your wounds like I told you to?"

The room froze at Kenshin's firm command. Sano's eyes widened as everyone immediately stopped talking and sat without further comment, all attention now focused on the rurouni. Kenshin wore an air of authority about him that had impressed Sanosuke from the moment he'd first met the swordsman. He remembered always wondering how exactly it was that Kenshin didn't get more flack from his enemies about his small size and delicate features. It was only after seeing Kenshin in situation after situation that he finally figured out what it was. It was undeniable; there was just something about Kenshin that gave him incredible charisma. When he spoke, you listened. When he had something to say, the rest of the world stopped until he was finished. It never ceased to amaze him.

Kenshin stood and moved aside so everyone could see Shinta lying curled up on the floor. Megumi let out a small sound of shock and put a hand to her mouth, mentally denying what her eyes told her. Tsubame and Genzai-sensei wore similar expressions. "A lot has happened everyone, and there isn't much time, so please listen carefully."

Battousai came to slowly. The first thing he was aware of was an intense throbbing across his entire head. He was well acquainted with blows to the head and he recognized the pain he was feeling; it could be nothing else, although he couldn't quite remember how he had gotten knocked out. He remembered being struck with Shinta's rock and the strange conversation afterward, but then his temper had finally flown completely out of control and he recalled nothing after that. Where am I now?

Forcing his aching eyes to focus Kenshin recognized the familiar ceiling of the dojo and knew he was back home. There was a soft futon under him and a blanket draped across his body. While part of him wanted to get up and find out what had happened between the market and the dojo, the rest him wanted very much to stay right where he was; here in this room it was warm and safe and quiet, and the terrifying rage he'd experienced at the market was gone, leaving him drained and exhausted. He laid there for several long moments, staring blankly at the wall, almost afraid to breathe lest his brain decide to fall apart without his permission again. I couldn't stop myself when I saw her, I couldn't control my words or my actions. What kind of monster am I? He closed his eyes tightly and tried to stop his feeling of self-loathing, but the emotion was persistent, and depressingly familiar. For so long I existed like this, hating myself and everything that I was, not even caring whether I lived or died. Kaoru and I were so happy, why did this have to happen? He felt tears of frustration sting his eyes and his mind produced an image from his memory, of Yanagi reaching for his head, of his world tearing apart. Bastard. That's what he is. It's his fault, all of it! He remembered Kaoru's tear-streaked face in the market, scared and angry and upset, all because of him and what Yanagi had done to him. I made her cry but that wouldn't have happened if he hadn't crossed every line of morality and decency that exists...

His thoughts starting to cycle angrily from Yanagi to himself and back to Yanagi again, Battousai slowly sat up and carefully felt the back of his head, wincing when his fingers found the wound where the rock had struck. Even this is his fault, isn't it? Without the rurouni I'm lost, with no self-control. How dare he think he could just separate us on a whim? Goddamn bastard. He became aware of voices drifting down the hallway, familiar voices: Kaoru, Sano, Yahiko, Megumi...and Akari. His eyes widened. So she's here as well. Why?

Getting to his feet Battousai left the room and crept stealthily down the hallway, his body's pain and exhaustion fading as he slipped easily into the mindset of the shadow assassin: swift, silent, invisible, and above all, focused. "...Western quarter," Akari was saying, "the 'Emperor Hotel', that's what the gaijins call it. I don't know how long we're staying in Tokyo, but if the real reason he brought us here was because of you..."

Battousai didn't need to hear anything else. He would go find Yanagi right now, without the squeamish peace-drunk rurouni slowing him down with his ridiculous non-killing morals. The mistake with Tomoe was extremely regrettable, and he understood the reasons behind the non-killing vow, but he wasn't as optimistic and naïve as the rurouni. Enemies keep returning from the past because we have been too cowardly to deal with them effectively. I won't put Kaoru and the others in danger anymore; if that means I must eventually kill Yanagi to keep him from hurting anyone else, so be it. Gliding back to his room Kenshin spotted the Sakabatou propped in an ornate sword stand, a New Year's gift from Kaoru. He hesitated only a moment before picking the sword up and tucking it through his belt.

With the whisper-soft sound of a shoji door sliding open and shut, Battousai was gone, a shadow in the night.

The rurouni sat patiently as Megumi examined him, checking his chest and joints. She frowned slightly as she held out one wrist to check his pulse. "Well Ken-san, I'll tell you the good news first. First of all, you're not dying or anything; this 'separation' or whatever you underwent doesn't seem to have done lasting damage. You simply pulled a few muscles in your chest running today, that's all. However, while everyone else here seems to think you're immortal, you and I know differently. Your joints are already starting to fail you, and you've also gotten a bit out of shape since last year, which means your problems are going to get worse, not better."

"You told me to rest," he protested indignantly, though he knew she was right. "For once I did what you told me to!"

Megumi sighed and dropped his hand. "And I appreciate that, now if only Rooster-head here would do the same."

Megumi sniffed. "Well it's the truth. The only reason you can even use that right hand of yours is because of my incomparable skills! Now, where is this other Ken-san at?"

Kaoru nodded and stood. The two women walked down the dark hallway together, talking quietly. Sano watched them go before turning his attention to Tsubame and Genzai-sensei. "Well she's taking this in stride, how about you two?"

"Kenshin-san," Tsubame whispered, "I'm so sorry this happened! I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen the other Kenshin-san today... it's such an awful thing."

"It is Tsubame-chan, but I appreciate Himura-san telling us this." Genzai-sensei had seen much of the man who was formerly known as the Hitokiri Battousai since his arrival a year ago, and he had come to genuinely like the young man. Himura's first action had been to save his adopted daughter's life, and since then he had proven his worth in the old man's eyes again and again. The gentleness and love he showed toward his granddaughters Ayame and Suzame to him spoke far more about the true nature of Himura Kenshin than all the bloody tales of Battousai. "I know you will keep us safe no matter what happens Himura-san, and I will be on alert for this Yanagi fellow. I agree with Kaoru-chan; it is better to know and understand a threat than to exist in ignorance of danger."

Kenshin nodded in agreement. He hadn't been surprised when Kaoru had told him Battousai had objected to telling everyone about the situation. Secrecy would have been his first reaction as well. His habits from the Bakumatsu, a time when a word to the wrong ear often led to betrayal and death, were hard to break, even all these years later.

He looked up at Akari. "Akari-dono, now that you know this, what do you want to do? I cannot ask you to help us with Yanagi, but it would much easier if you did. He must be convinced to restore us, by force if necessary. My younger self is growing more agitated and irrational by the day, and there is little I can do to help him. We can't stay like this for much longer."

"I understand...but I can't just go against my husband, not without talking to him first. Himura-san, I think I should go back and try to confront him. If I can get him to come here willingly..."

Those two words sent Kenshin's heart into his throat, icy panic shooting up his spine. "W-what?"

"Shit!" Sano jumped up. "Dammit, I knew we shouldn't have left him alone in there!"

"That idiot." Kenshin whispered, appalled at his own stupidity. "He went to find Yanagi on his own."

There was horrified silence from everyone in the room; they all had a fairly good idea of what the rurouni had meant by that statement. "There's something else, Kenshin. He took the Sakabatou with him."

Yanagi read the note Akari had left on the bed for the hundredth time, looking angrily up at the clock. "I went to the market to look around, maybe this way I can help you with your research, I'll be back by 6:00, Akari" he read aloud. He checked the clock again, letting out a hiss of frustrated worry. "It's past eight, where the hell is she?"

Yanagi stood and went to the window, staring out at the street lit dimly by gaslight. No sign of her. His chest tightened with genuine worry. She shouldn't have gone out on her own like that. This city isn't safe at night... Gritting his teeth, he left the room to check the street below for himself.

Sano sighed in frustration. Getting Kenshin to stay put in a situation like this was like trying to prevent a member of the Shinsengumi from killing an Ishin Shishi. He was seriously beginning to wonder if he was going to have to tie the rurouni up. "Look, I'll go get him, all right? Someone needs to be here for Jou-chan and to watch out for that Akari woman, besides you hurt yourself today."

"I'm fine!" the rurouni insisted, clenching his fists at his sides in frustration. "Sano, let me deal with him!"

"Look no offense, but every time you try to 'deal with him', things just get worse! It would be better if I went, is all I'm saying. I'm not going to try and fight him, I'm not that stupid, but someone needs to make sure he doesn't go and lop that fool's head off."

"If Battousai needs to be stopped then I'm the one with the skills to do it, Sano."

Kaoru sighed and stepped in front of Kenshin, pushing down firmly on his shoulders. "Sit."

Kenshin glared at his wife, but made no move to follow Sano. "This is a mistake, Kaoru. Sano is strong, but Battousai is stronger."

That alone gave Kenshin pause. Megumi almost never called the former street fighter by his real name; the significance wasn't lost on him. Reluctantly, he nodded. "All right."

Battousai sped through the night, the weight of the sword at his hip giving him a confidence he hadn't felt in three long days. He felt more stable and secure with the weapon at his side, his mind fully focused on his mission, his maddening temper temporarily banished. Was that why his body felt so strong now, despite everything that had happened? Stability of the mind brings strength of the body. That's what Shishou always said.

Turning a corner easily at full speed, Kenshin reveled in his renewed power. Only hours after the separation from the others he'd noticed a significant increase in his strength and flexibility; he'd been able to leap several feet from the ground to the bathhouse roof and pull off a Tsumuji attack virtually without effort, just as he had been able to do in his hitokiri days. The lack of ki is a problem, but physically this body seems to be stronger than the rurouni's. It's as if I really were sixteen again.

He changed from the streets to the roofs in a few easy leaps. In Kyoto this had been one of the most efficient means of travel, and he had been one of the few hitokiri skilled enough to use it. Up here he truly was invisible from those on the ground, a shadow racing along the spines of roofs and leaping between buildings in long, graceful arcs. This was one of the specialties of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu: strength of the legs and body gave the swordsman superior swiftness and grace, so he could move as easily as a flying dragon.

Truthfully, Kenshin was almost afraid of how easily he was resuming old habits. Old instincts of sight and sound resurfaced as he approached the Western quarter of Tokyo, which lay a fair distance from the dojo. Pausing on a rooftop to catch his breath, Battousai surveyed the area with keen eyes. Just as in Bakumatsu, he was the hunter tracking his prey, and nothing escaped his notice. The crowds were sparse this time of night, most people having returned home before sundown. His quarry would be easy to spot if he happened to be outside. "The Emperor Hotel," he murmured to himself. Scanning the Western-style buildings before him he chose a route and began his search, constantly checking the streets below as he moved.

Sano ran faster that night than he had ever run before, taking every shortcut he knew to reach the Western quarter before Battousai found Yanagi. He couldn't shake off a bad feeling about all this, and he bent his head into the wind, forcing himself to run even faster. Damn it, the guy's fast as a hare with wings and he has a good head start on me. He wondered if he really would be too late, but Akari had given him precise directions to the hotel, which was more than Battousai had. No matter what though, Sano was determined to help his friend. If the hitokiri snapped and killed Yanagi, then not only would Kenshin's vow be broken but it was likely that Kenshin would trapped in three bodies forever. It had been a full three days now, and it was becoming obvious that all three parts of Kenshin were suffering. The rurouni and Shinta seem to be okay when you look at them, but Kenshin keeps getting more depressed and Shinta's not smiling much anymore. What if they eventually fall apart like Battousai? He pushed the unpleasant thought away and put on another burst of speed, thanking the gods for his height and light build. He could already see the gaslights of the Western quarter and knew he was almost there. Kenshin, don't you dare do anything dumb!

Yanagi paced anxiously outside the hotel entrance, disturbed by the eerie quiet of the street. The spring night was cold and he shivered inside his thin Western suit. Where was Akari? The thought of losing her now terrified him, and he frantically cast his senses about for her. His mind felt a presence nearby and he stopped in his pacing, looking up hopefully. A short figure had appeared at the end of the street, shrouded in darkness. His mouth went dry as he realized that it wasn't Akari, but someone equally familiar and far more terrifying. "No..." he whispered.

The figure approached on silent feet, and the menacing aura that surrounded him caused Yanagi to step back a few paces. "So this is where you've been going to ground, Yanagi. Really, you should downgrade your tastes a bit, you were far too easy to find."

Battousai stepped into the pool of light that surrounded the hotel doorway and Yanagi allowed himself a small gasp of surprise. He had been expecting to see a man his age, maybe with a hardened face to match the steely tones of that voice. He certainly hadn't expected Battousai to be so young and eerily beautiful, his eyes molten gold in the lamp's light. He was dressed in an expensive-looking gi of emerald green silk and hakama, which must have once been white but were now stained brown with street dust. Yanagi noted the sword at Himura's waist with apprehension, and wondered if Battousai could tell he was unarmed. Of course he can, he's a hitokiri. I should have expected he would find me like this. I have to be confident in front of him; I can't appear weak. Luckily, there is a night guard inside. Himura can't do anything to me. Yanagi squared his shoulders and glared down at Battousai from his slightly superior height. "What have you done with Akari?"

Battousai cocked his head and studied Yanagi with predatory eyes. "Whatever do you mean by that?"

"Don't screw around with me Himura, how else could you have found me? I thought you were a man of honor, I can't believe you would use her to get to me."

Battousai actually laughed, a dry sound that made Yanagi's skin crawl. There was something very wrong with that laugh, and with the strange gleam in the hitokiri's eyes. "Are you a complete fool, or are you so full of yourself that you actually believe you're somehow in the right here? Don't preach to me about honor and morality when you've done far worse than any crime I ever committed as a hitokiri."

Yangai bristled at being compared to a murderer like Battousai, but he refused to be distracted by insults. "Where is my wife?" He asked again, his voice a low growl.

"Safe," Battousai replied simply. "She came to us through accident, actually. I'm not one for kidnapping, and if I know my other selves they've probably already filled her in on your little hobby. It's over Yanagi; you've had your fun so give up this game and restore us to the way we were."

Kenshin faintly heard the sound of running feet coming from one of the side alleys, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a tall form stumble to a halt and lean heavily against a wall, out of breath. Sano. Figures. Battousai chose to ignore him for the moment, instead refocusing on Yanagi, who had a strangely bemused look on his face.

Still trying to catch his breath, Sano looked up at the two figures standing in a pool of yellow light. He was genuinely surprised to see Battousai standing there calmly, speaking to Yanagi in fairly rational tones. He had honestly expected to come upon the hitokiri screaming and raving the way he had been at the market earlier in the day, or at least waving his sword about. He wasn't quite sure what to make of this strangely calm Kenshin, who spoke to his enemy with such quiet authority.

A thin, wry smile appeared on Yanagi's face and he casually wrapped his arms behind his back. "Sorry, can't do that."

Battousai's eyes narrowed to thin golden slits, his left hand tensing around the hilt of the sword. "I don't think you're understanding me, Yanagi. This is not a request. Do you have any idea of the kind of hell you've put me through? Enough is enough, you got to test your precious little technique, now do as I say."

Yanagi actually snickered and grinned. "What makes you think I even know how to put you together? I have no idea."

"What?" Battousai could feel anger starting to eat away at his icy shell of his rationality, like flame licking against a wall of ice. Oh Gods, not again.

"Haven't a clue. You're only the second person I've used this on, Himura, and the other one didn't live long enough to ask me something like that. There is no counter-technique. Sorry to disappoint you. So you ended up splitting into three, right? I saw the little kid earlier, I'll have to meet the third one at some point."

Kenshin balked at him. "What the hell is wrong with you? Is this still a game to you? I will not be the subject of some experiment, and I won't allow you to roam free where you can use this technique on someone else. You will answer for tearing my soul apart!"

Yanagi threw his head back and laughed, and Sano's eyes widened as he realized the man was completely insane. Battousai was starting to look incensed, and Sano tensed, ready to rush in if the hitokiri attacked. "You won't hurt me Himura, you've got that silly non-killing vow of yours! Besides there's a guard right inside the door, if you try anything you-"

Battousai moved so fast Sano saw only a blur of green and white. The hitokiri rushed Yanagi in complete silence, grabbing the front of the man's suit and pulling him out into the darkness of the street. The two men vanished from sight and for a heartbeat Sano stood frozen. He had boasted to the rurouni, but really the idea of taking on Battousai was terrifying. Kenshin had twice before beaten Sano easily, and both times the diminutive swordsman had been holding back. The hitokiri wouldn't be so merciful. But I can't let Kenshin break his vow. It would destroy him, I know it. No matter what happens to me, I have to stop him!

Battousai flew to the far side of the street and flung the stunned Yanagi hard against the brick wall of another building, knocking the wind out of him. A sharp ringing of steel was the only warning Yanagi had before he felt a blade being pressed against his jugular, Battousai's golden eyes studying him with cool detachment. Behind the flatness of the hitokiri's gaze though, Yanagi could see a burning of amber fire, and knew he'd crossed the line. "You know Yanagi, it's a funny thing about vows and rules and all that: they can be broken so easily. And what can't be broken can certainly be bent. Remember that I don't have to kill you to make you suffer."

"Kenshin!" Shoving aside his own fear and throwing caution to the wind, Sano ran right up to Battousai and grabbed his shoulder, trying to wrench the sword away from Yanagi's neck. To his alarm, Battousai's body was like a statue, completely immovable. The hitokiri turned his head and Sano met the other's frightening gaze for only an instant before a vicious kick to his gut sent him flying back against the neighboring building. The young man couldn't even cry out as he felt his lunch trying to come back up his throat. Huddling against the wall with his hand to his mouth, he stared at Kenshin in mingled shock and fury.

"I do not wish to hurt you, so stay out of this Sanosuke." Battousai slid his gaze calmly back to Yanagi, who was visibly shaking under his iron grip. "You underestimated me again Yanagi, how unfortunate for you."

Yanagi stared into the assassin's eyes in horror. I didn't release a hitokiri, I released a demon! "You're mad," he whispered.

Battousai lifted an ironic eyebrow. "You and I both share a kind of madness, Yanagi. The madness of the hitokiri and the madness of one who has no hesitation about using the lives of others for his own amusement are not all that dissimilar. Now come with me peacefully and let's put an end to this."

"I don't have a counter-technique!" Yanagi hissed, starting to panic. He pushed hard against Kenshin's arms. "I can't help you!"

"Then your usefulness has ended," the hitokiri said with deadly logic, tightening his grip on the hilt in preparation to strike.

Yanagi's fear suddenly gave way to a mad grin. "I don't give up that easily, hitokiri!" Yanagi screamed and Kenshin was suddenly hit with a tremendous blast of ki, which emanated from the other's body in waves so powerful the air actually shimmered with it. Battousai flew back with a cry, carried off his feet by the force of the blast, and landed hard on his back, knocking the wind out of him. Kenshin could hear the pounding of Yanagi's feet as the man fled into the night, and he cursed his stupidity. He had allowed himself to grow overconfident, and for a precious few moments he'd forgotten that Yanagi possessed a full range of ki techniques, offense included. "Dammit," he whispered, before painfully climbing to his feet. I was so close! Without the ability to read ki had had no way of tracking his enemy now. He glanced over at Sano, who was glaring at him furiously. "Did you see which way he went?"

"I'm not telling you anything, first you try to kill someone then you attack me! You think I trust you right now?" Kenshin stood and leveled an icy glare at Sano. "Is that why you followed me?"

"Damn straight, I knew you would try something like this, and so did the rurouni! What the hell did you think you were doing acting on your own like that?"

"I really don't see how it's your business how I deal with my enemies, Sanosuke. The rurouni will not act effectively against Yanagi, he cannot. He would rather Yanagi come to him willingly, and I knew that belief was foolish. I had no other choice."

Battousai sighed at the man's ignorance and re-sheathed the Sakabatou. He turned and began to walk back in the direction of the dojo.

Sano felt something inside him snap. "Don't you walk away from me, dammit! Kenshin worked hard to keep that vow, and you almost broke it! Don't you care about anyone or anything besides yourself? You're nothing like the Kenshin I know, you arrogant asshole!"

Battousai paused and looked back over his shoulder at Sano. The expression in his eyes was unreadable. "Don't presume to understand me, Sanosuke, when I do not even understand myself. Let's return to the dojo now."

Kenshin turned and kept walking. Sano trailed a respectful distance behind, his thoughts and feelings in turmoil.

Battousai slid open the shoji door that led to his and Kaoru's room and allowed bright moonlight to spill inside. He wasn't surprised to see the rurouni kneeling on the floor, waiting for him. The two Kenshins locked gazes for a moment, each trying to read the other. Breaking eye contact Battousai stepped inside, turning his back to the rurouni as he slid the door shut.

There was a long silence. Battousai did not move from the shoji door. "I'm sorry," he said at last.

"'I'm sorry'? That's all you have to say? Unacceptable. What you did was nothing short of insane; you may have destroyed any hope we had of getting out of this."

"There was no hope from the beginning, Kenshin. He will not restore us willingly; he's made that quite clear. He's enjoying his little experiment, and he doesn't intend for it to end just yet."

The rurouni gritted his teeth. "That doesn't change the fact that you ran off so recklessly, and with my sword!"

"Then it's still my sword. I will not see the Sakabatou stained with blood because you can't control yourself. This madness must end."

Battousai bristled at the rurouni's condescending tone. Whether Sano truly realized it or not, when it came to arrogance he and the rurouni were equally matched. The rurouni was just much better at hiding it. "The madness is only beginning. I'm still teetering on the edge of the abyss, and I have no control over when I fall in." He paused for a moment before driving the point home. "The fact is, you no longer have control over the madness of the hitokiri, do you? And neither do I."

Battousai turned from the door to face the rurouni, his expression hurt. "You always think the worst of me, don't you?"

Battousai frowned slightly. "You call me mad and reckless, but I don't think you realize certain things about your own behavior. Did it ever occur to you that maybe this is exactly what Yanagi wants, for us to turn against each other? After all, it's already begun, hasn't it? It really bothers you that you no longer have direct control over me and what I do."

"Don't be ridiculous, the only reason I'm angry is because of your foolish actions! You're putting us all in danger."

"So what do you intend to do then?" Battousai asked, striding towards the rurouni. "Lock me away in the storage shed until we are both toothless old men, too decrepit and frail to harm anyone? Or maybe you think I'll just obey your every command on principle. Just how do you plan to muzzle me and make me behave?"

He stopped short of the rurouni, who was looking very apprehensive. "What do you intend to do about me?"

They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, their wills battling. It was the rurouni who finally looked away. Battousai smiled without humor. "I thought as much. Don't act so high and mighty when you don't have the resolve to back it up, Rurouni. For the time being I am my own man, and I will make my own decisions in this matter. Besides, Yanagi is still alive; there is still a chance to resolve this. I haven't completely lost control yet, so have an ounce of trust and get the hell off my back."

The rurouni looked back at him in shock. "Goodnight," Battousai said simply, walking over to the sword stand and replacing the Sakabatou respectfully. He then sat down against the wall to sleep.

The rurouni laid down on his futon. He spoke into the uncomfortable silence. "Kaoru is down the hall with Megumi-dono and Akari-dono. Shinta is with Yahiko. Genzai-sensei and Tsubame-dono left."

"Sanoske went home." Battousai whispered. The domestic exchange seemed strange and out of place, but to the two elder parts of Himura Kenshin, it was almost a mutual apology.

Outside in the hall Kaoru stood in stunned silence, her hand pressed to her mouth. She had heard every word that had passed between them. This can't be happening. Battousai's slowly going insane, by his own admission, and the rurouni can do nothing to stop it. Gods, what do we do now? The frightening menace in Battousai's voice as he'd spoken to the rurouni had been terrible to hear. The reasons why Kenshin had tried so hard for so long to keep this part of himself hidden away from the rest of them were becoming clearer with each passing day. The hitokiri was ruthless and powerful, and served his own version of justice. Kaoru vividly remembered the prelude to Kenshin's battle with Saitou in the dojo, when Saitou had reminded Kenshin of the shared justice of the hitokiri and the Shinsengumi. He was right all along, wasn't he? At the time I didn't want to believe him but...if Battousai feels that Yanagi should die, then he will kill him, without hesitation.

Kaoru heard a soft noise nearby and she turned to see Shinta standing behind her in his sleeping robe, his eyes luminous in the dark. She looked at him questioningly, wondering if he'd also heard the conversation, but the child just shook his head slowly, his expression sad and resigned, and turned to go back up the hallway. Kaoru followed him, her fears mounting.