Chapter Six: J.U.S.T.I.C.E.

The Ryouga & Ukyou Chronicles, Volume Two

Disclaimer:
Ryouga Hibiki and Ukyou Kuonji are not my creations and are both copyright of Rumiko Takahashi. This same holds true for Nabiki Tendo, Sasuke, Hiroshi, Daisuke, and yes, even Kuno. I’d like to thank Takahashi-sensei for her great series once again. So don’t sue me. I’m broke. All you’ll get is an IOU written on a cocktail napkin. Well, that is, if I could afford a cocktail...Anyway, I once again claim no credit for their creation. And, now, on with the show...

I

The room was dark, not the kind of darkness that would fall naturally once the sun had disappeared over the horizon, but the creeping darkness only a closed building could contain. It was musty and choking, an altogether unpleasant. Towards the center of the room, a fluorescent pillar of light emanated from the floor, basking the people close to it in an eerie blue light.

"I still see nothing." One of the hooded figures illuminated by the glowing pillar said.

"Patience, Yaro. Patience, and you shall see." The other figure responded ominously. Within the pillar an image of a bandannaed boy battling a black haired boy with a ponytail was visible. The pair watched the battle intently for several minutes, until the bandannaed boy was splashed with a bucket of water. Within a few moments, only a small piglet remained. The second figure chuckled aloud.

"There…" he said, his smirk audible, "I told you so."

"Indeed." The first figure said, nodding. "How old is this image?"

A third figure, watching from the depths of the dark room, turned around in a swivel chair that had moments ago been facing some sort of large computer terminal, with tons of flashing lights and whatnot, all of a very seemingly scientific nature. The figure, despite wearing a thick robe and hood, wore a heavy set of headphones and a microphone attachment by his concealed mouth. "Approximately a year and a half, sir." He said analytically.

"I see…" The first figure said, reaching under his cowl to stroke his chin thoughtfully. "Begin dictation."

The third figure adjusted his large headphones, tweaked at some barely visible dials and then nodded. The first figure cleared his throat and then prepared to speak.

"J-dot-U-dot-S-dot-T-dot-I-dot-C-dot-E-dot Case File #2104: Subject is a man/pig cursed hybrid. Most definantly Jusenkyo in origin. J-dot-U-dot-S-dot-T-dot-I-"

"Um, sir," the second man interrupted meekly. "Is it really necessary to say ‘dot’ after every letter in JUSTICE?"

"Are you questioning me, cadet Yaro?" The figure said ominously. "How else will anyone know that it is an anagram unless we say the dots? Tell me that, if you are so very smart." He accented the statement with a voice full of sly yet venomous undertones.

"Well, I was…" The cadet began, but was cut off suddenly when the first figure smashed him across the face with the scabbard of a katana that had suddenly appeared in his hand. The Second figure sputtered and collapsed to the floor. The First man cleared his throat.

"As I was saying," he began, "J-dot-U-dot-S-dot-T-dot-I-dot-C-dot-E-dot Agents are being dispatched for standard capture and containment procedures. Will update as needed. Takemura out."

The third figure gave him the thumbs up, and the first figure smirked, reaching up and drawing back his hood to reveal a relatively young face. His skin was tanned and worn looking, and his hair was short, black, and spiky and unkempt. A long scar ran the length of the left side of his face, and his left eye was permanently sealed shut as a result. The man chuckled to himself and slid his hand into the pillar of light, cupping the image of Ryouga Hibiki in his hand.

"Victim of Jusenkyo, prepare for J-dot-U-dot-S-dot-T-dot-I-dot-C-dot-E-dot!!" He shouted, cackling madly as he clenched his fist around the image. His hand clenched tighter and tighter, the veins straining through the tanned skin of his hand. The third man watched impassively for a moment.

"Uh, sir…" he interjected after a moment of uncomfortable silence. "You know that’s just a holographic projection…right?"

The man chuckled for a few moments, withdrawing his hand from the light and shaking it vigorously to relieve the tension. "Yes…of course…" he said slowly, then turned to the third man.

"Prepare for J-dot-U-dot-S-dot-T-dot-I-dot-C-dot-E-dot…, I like that one. Write that one down for me please, Hayabusai. I’m going to use it later. Maybe at the annual company dinner party or something. I’ll be in the sauna." The man known as Takemura said, and with a sharp clap, the previously unconscious Yaro leapt to his feet, standing at attention.

The third figure nodded obediently, and watched as the scarred man and Yaro nonchalantly made their way out. Hayabusai then turned and pressed a small button conveniently located on a nearby panel.

"Kaiden, Utsu, please come in here." He said emotionlessly, although a smirk had silently worked its way across his face. Within moments, two men entered, wearing nondescript kimonos. One was sky blue with darker, more navy highlights, while the other was a bright gold and green design. Each man wore a katana at their side, the tsuba and saya of each decorated to match the appropriate ensemble.

"You called, master Hayabusai?" The man in the blue kimono said in a voice barely above a whisper, yet as calm as the stillest lake on a cool autumn morning.

"Yes, Kaiden, that I did." Hayabusai said, pulling off his hood to reveal a weasel face and thick glasses. "Once again, that overconfident fool Takemura is planning to apprehend a Jusenkyo victim himself."

Kaiden and Utsu exchanged knowing glances, but remained silent, heads bowed slightly in respect. Hayabusai was fuming, clenching his fists in the mere thought of what Takemura had planned.

"You two are my servants…you will apprehend him first. At all costs. Do you understand?" Hayabusai snarled, his face concealed by shadow, but his body shaking with barely contained rage. "That fool will not get me snubbed by the superiors a second time…"

"Hai." The two men said in unison, and bowed low, backing out of the control room without turning away from him once. The doors slid shut after their exit, and Hayabusai was left in the control center, with nothing to keep him company but the hum of machinery, and the dim glow from the image that remained suspended in the air.

"Hibiki…Ryouga, is it?" Hayabusai chuckled, tracing his fingers over the projected light image. "You are my ticket out of this second class position, and into the seat of supreme power…"

As he tightened his fist over the image of the bandannaed boy, his insane laughter echoed out of the darkened chamber and into the still night air.

II

"Did you just say something to me?" Ryouga Hibiki said, looking over his shoulder at the teenage youth sitting behind him, who was absently polishing and re-polishing a Chinese broadsword.

The boy, Agotsu Kourenai, raised an eyebrow and sneered derisively at the bandannaed boy. "What?" He seemed very annoyed at having been distracted from his ritualistic polishing ceremony.

"I said," Ryouga grumbled, his annoyance already apparent after less than three shared sentences with his self-proclaimed mortal enemy, "Did you just say something to me?"

"Don’t be an idiot." Agotsu sneered. "I wouldn’t waste my breath saying anything about you other than ‘Good Riddance’, Hibiki."

Struggling to maintain his composure, Ryouga inhaled deeply, and then turned to resume his previous activity. He almost immediately fell into a training exercise, training his already well developed muscles in preparation for whatever might lie ahead of them. The cool wind caressed his cheeks and calmed his angry spirit for the time being, and he began to lose himself in his practice.

"Okay, everyone, come and get it!" a feminine voice called out over the wide expanse of lawn that the two men were resting, located near the back of the rather large private estate of Doctor Shiryo Koan.

Ryouga felt himself slide back into the real world as the scent of fresh made okonomiyaki filled the autumn air. He smiled and turned, beginning the approach to the large house that loomed over his practice area. Standing in the open shoji screen door was a pretty young woman wearing a set of well worn traveling clothes. Her long unbound brown hair drifted lazily in the breeze. As he approached, she smiled that smile of hers that always made him fluster, and reached out to take his rough hand into her own.

"Training hard, Ryo-chan?" she teased, smirking. Ryouga shrugged.

"Well, I guess so. I’d rather have something more of a challenge to fight than Agotsu’s stupid comments." He said, slightly annoyed. Ukyou reached up and rustled his thick black hair.

"Come on," she said, leading him into the house, "Breakfast is ready. We should hurry before Daisuke eats it all. Again."

"He’d better not." Ryouga said as he was led into the dining area. "Last time I let him off with a warning."

"Warning!?" came an exasperated reply from the table. A thin, weasel-looking teen with short black hair and a school uniform sat at the dining area, stuffing okonomiyaki into his mouth like he hadn’t eaten in years. "I don’t consider being punched THROUGH A ROOF to be a warning!"

"Well-"Ryouga began, but was cut short.

"Wait, wait, did I forget to mention, THROUGH A ROOF?" Daisuke said, agitated.

"Well-"

"Wait, THROUGH A FREAKING ROOF, you know?"

"Daisuke, stop." Ryouga said calmly, "Or I will kill you. And then you will die."

"Oh…"Daisuke said, shifting uncomfortably. "Yeah, okay. Sorry." Under his breath, he muttered "I still don’t consider it a warning, though."

"Well, I do." Ryouga said menacingly. "Keep that in mind."

Daisuke only nodded, too busy cramming the hot okonomiyaki down his throat to form a coherent sentence. Ryouga sat next to Ukyou, reluctantly releasing his grip on her slim hand. At about the same time, Agotsu came into the room, plopping himself down against a wall, a good distance from the other three companions.

"Okonomiyaki again?" He said, annoyed. "Can’t you make anything else?"

"Yeah, I can." Ukyou said smartly. "Like make you cry for mercy, again." She nodded her head towards the obscenely large spatula resting with all their combined traveling gear by the far wall of the house.

Agotsu turned away, trying to hide his embarrassment as he swallowed hard. "Yeah," he said, quickly changing the subject, "Well, anyway, you know that I’d be more than willing to beat you mercilessly if you wish a real training session, Hibiki."

"Gee, what a pal." Ryouga spat. Agotsu smirked.

"I live to serve, Master Ryouga." He said, placing a mocking emphasis on the word ‘Master’. It took most of Ryouga’s self restraint not to send Agotsu a First Class ticket to Hokkaido on the "My Fist Express." Instead, he helped himself to some of his fiancee’s cooking.

"So," Daisuke said between mouthfuls, "Like, when are we getting out of here, anyway? Don’t get me wrong, I mean, this place is sweet. Not a lot of hotties around, granted, but still…Well, unclaimed hotties, at any rate..." Ukyou scowled at him, and he quickly got to the point. "Well, what I mean is that we’ve been here for what, like three days already?"

"Four, actually." Agotsu said absently.

"Really?" Ryouga said. "Are you sure?"

"Of course." Agotsu said snidely. "Each moment I live indentured to you is like a living seething Hell from which I can only expect escape in the sweet embrace of death. It’s not hard to remember how long it’s lasted."

"Makes sense to me." Daisuke said thoughtfully, and grabbed another plateful of okonomiyaki while no one was looking. He chuckled silently at his own cunning.

"We’re not going anywhere until we’re sure Ryu will be okay." Ukyou interjected as she nonchalantly produced a spatula from seemingly out of nowhere and smashed Daisuke’s steadily encroaching hand from her okonomiyaki plate. He yelped in pain and drew his appendage back protectively.

"Yeah, yeah, okay." He grumbled, shaking his hand vigorously to return the feeling to his fingers. "I guess I’m used to seeing Ryouga there shake off those kind of injuries in like half an hour. Actually waiting for someone to get out of a hospital for more than a day seems a little weird to me…which, in and of itself, seems a little weird…" His face washed over in a look of abject confusion, and Daisuke quickly silenced himself, becoming lost in his "deep" thoughts.

"What the hell did you do to him, anyway?" Ryouga snarled, turning to Agotsu. "When you first ran into me, you were acting like you didn’t want to fight me at all, and now, wham! You’re like my worst enemy or something."

Agotsu chuckled sinisterly. "Ah, foolish Hibiki, it merely took me a minute to realize who you were. In fact, it was you I was looking for all along, and most definantly not someone entirely different. And I certainly didn’t mistake your friend for someone else, either. So don’t even consider the option."

Ryouga and Ukyou exchanged bemused smirks.

"You had no idea who Ryouga was before then, did you?" Ukyou said smartly. Agotsu winced visibly as his calm demeanor shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. He swallowed hard, and attempted to remain calm, failing miserably, of course.

"Well, I…uh…of course I did…I just didn’t recognize him at first, that’s all. " He said, chuckling nervously. "I merely acted like I did to…test him…to make sure it was really him…"

"You didn’t beat up Ryu either, did you?" Ukyou persisted, probing deeper into the frail facade Agotsu was trying to put up.

"Uh…well…it depends on what you mean by-" Agotsu began to stutter, but was interrupted when Ryouga shot up and reached across the table, grasping him by the cuff of his shirt, lifting him up into the air easily.

"Who the hell are you!?" Ryouga demanded, his face flushed with anger. Ukyou considered trying to calm him down, but she was as curious as her Ryo-chan, and she had to admit he could be a bit more persuasive than her.

"Okay! Okay! Just put me down, and I’ll tell you all I know, okay?" Agotsu said, struggling vainly against Ryouga’s iron grip. "Just don’t sick your amazon woman on me, okay?"

Ukyou facefaulted, and slowly reached for her trusty giant spatula. Daisuke, sensing the impending violence, took the opportunity to exit the room quickly. Seeing her actions, Agotsu yelped and struggled harder and harder, to no avail.

"Okay, okay, I’m sorry, okay?" He pleaded. "Just, no more pain!"

Ryouga looked over at Ukyou, as if to say "Well?" She just sighed and shook her head. Ryouga nodded and lifted Agotsu higher, then summoned up a tiny bit of his monstrous strength and hurtled the prone teen out of the shoji screen door and into the back lot they had been in only minutes earlier. Agotsu smacked against the soft grass and skidded across the lawn, quickly leaping to his feet as soon as he stopped, only to slip and fall backwards again, landing with an audible "Oof!" on his rear.

"W-W-Wait a second, here, Hibiki…" he said, crawling backwards on his hands and feet as Ryouga approached him from the house, with Ukyou following close behind him. Daisuke watched, amused, from a safe distance.

"Okay, Agotsu. No more games." Ryouga growled. "Tell me what I want to know."

Agotsu sighed and stood up, brushing himself off and attempting to regain some air of dignity. "Okay, okay. I guess you were bound to find out sooner or later."

III

"Okay, here’s the deal." Agotsu said as they retook their seats around the table. "I wasn’t exactly looking for you when we…encountered each other on that mountain top."

"No, really?" Daisuke said sarcastically. Agotsu shot him an annoyed look and cleared his throat to continue.

"At any rate…" he resumed, "I don’t suppose any of you peons have heard of the legendary training grounds of Jusenkyo, have you?"

Ryouga’s eyes widened and his skin seemed to take on a slightly paler tone. "Yes, I have…" he said gravely. Agotsu raised an eyebrow at him quizzically. Ukyou shifted uncomfortably and placed a comforting hand on Ryouga’s shoulder.

"Ryo-chan and I are both quite familiar with that place." She said matter-of-factly. "Although he’s a bit more intimately acquainted with it than I am." Agotsu seemed to find this highly amusing, and smirked prominently, nearly pushing Ryouga to beat him into a tiny little speck of nothing.

"Ah…you are…cursed?" he said, trying to stifle a laugh, and barely managing it. Ryouga nodded.

"I see." Agotsu continued. "Then this should be of special interest to you, I’d imagine." Ryouga pushed his thoughts of beating the teen senseless and settled down to listen to him.

"First of all," he began, "Let me make it implicitly clear that you are in fact my mortal enemy. The Hibiki and Kourenai family have had a long standing feud for over two hundred years, since your ancestor Fujikai Hibiki caused the ruination of my ancestor Hohiro Kourenai’s thriving restaurant business. In fact, this whole sordid mess is indirectly your fault."

This was all news to Ryouga, who began to open his mouth, but Agotsu cut him off.

"There will be plenty of time for apologies later." He said dismissively. "But, at any rate, ever since I was a young lad, I heard tales of how your treacherous ancestor caused the destitution of my family. How he came to my great great grandfather’s restaurant and ordered the largest meal ever conceived by the human mind. Of how he ate everything like a slovenly pig, and excused himself to the restroom while my family calculated the astronomical bill, and how he never returned. After that, the debt collectors could not be paid off, and our family lost everything. My father would tell me these stories, awakening in me a thirst for vengeance that would never be quenched."

Agotsu’s anger was apparent as he told his tale, his fists clenching in anger as his face reddened in unfocused rage. Ukyou looked over at Ryouga for confirmation, and he could only shrug.

"I didn’t even know I had a relative named Fujikai." He said, bewildered. Ukyou sighed.

"You probably don’t." she said. "Remember how many of these guys used to show up and challenge Ranma? They almost always had their stories wrong somehow."

"But, weren’t you two some of ‘those guys’, too?" Daisuke interjected. Ryouga hit him and he was quickly silent. Meanwhile, Agotsu had come out of his little angry world at last, and was preparing to continue his tale.

"When I was old enough, I traveled to an ancient monastery, and threw myself at the feet of the greatest master of the martial arts that has ever lived, the immortal Fujihara Tetsuroshi himself. Master Tetsuroshi trained me well, and when I turned sixteen, I set out on my quest to destroy you, Hibiki, and cleanse the shame of my father’s honor, and his father before him. I tracked you for what seemed like ages. I know you knew, because the random paths you took always seemed to attempt to lose me. I knew no person could ever accidentally walk so erratically without brain damage of some kind."

Ryouga scowled visibly.

Agotsu continued, undisturbed. "Finally, I traced you to the Jusenkyo Springs, where I intended us to have our final confrontation, but some unforeseen…circumstances…prevented me from realizing my ambition."

Ryouga furrowed his brow, a sign of his confusion. Ukyou smirked. "You fell into a spring, didn’t you?" she said, taking her turn in trying vainly not to laugh. Agotsu’s face flushed a bright crimson, and his teeth gritted together. Audibly.

"The…exact nature of my…unfortunate circumstance…is unimportant…" He said slowly, his voice seething with anger.

"Man," Daisuke said, amused. "You figure that eventually they’d put a fence up around those damn things or something, to stop all the stupid people from just walking into them. Or maybe just put up a sign that said something like ‘Hey, Stupid People! Don’t Walk Into That Water! It’s BAD!" Agotsu and Ryouga both turned to him with anger seething in their eyes. He quickly retreated back into silence.

"Anyway…"Agotsu continued, "I wandered blindly for a time after the…incident…unsure of what to do with myself. It was while I was stumbling in this haze that THEY first came after me."

"Who?" Ryouga said, listening intently.

"Them." Agotsu repeated sinisterly. Ryouga scowled.

"Yeah, I got it. But them who?" he said, annoyed. Agotsu shrugged.

"I never was able to determine exactly who they are, really." He said, matter-of-factly. "I know the word ‘dot’ is repeated ad naseum. Perhaps some kind of mantra of power."

"That or an anagram." Daisuke commented offhandedly. Ukyou turned to him and scowled.

"Don’t be an idiot." She said. "Who says the dots in an anagram, anyway?"

"Granted. That would be kind of retarded." Daisuke conceded, and the two returned their interest to the conversation at hand.

"Anyway, THEY began to pursue me with an almost religious zeal as I followed Ryouga’s trails across the wide expanses of China. They dressed in long flowing cloaks with hoods to conceal them, and fought with magic and skill that very nearly rivaled my own." Agotsu continued smugly. "Wherever I went, they were close behind me, trying to splash me with some water from a ‘sacred chalice’ and chanting their horrible dot mantra, over and over again…"

He shuddered, swallowing to clear his throat. "They hounded me day and night. I couldn’t sleep, eat, or even pursue you." he said, glaring at Ryouga. "I had nearly convinced myself that you had hired these thugs to keep me from extracting my rightful vengeance."

"What?" Ryouga said, annoyed. "I don’t hide behind thugs, pal. If you wanted to fight me, then I wouldn’t have a problem with it at all." So said, he gritted his teeth and cracked his knuckles as an indication of his willingness.

"I said ALMOST, Hibiki." Agotsu said, turning away from him. "Until I began hearing about others that had fallen into the Jusenkyo Springs, like you and I. I tracked many down, and they admitted they too were plagued by-"

"Whoa, whoa, hang on a sec." Daisuke said. "You mean you just tracked them down, just like that?" he smirked, snapping his fingers once. "But it took you how long to find Ryouga?"

"Hibiki is a skilled purveyor of the shadows. He was able to make trails that crosses and criss-crossed enough to confound even the greatest of trackers." Agotsu added sharply. Daisuke snickered.

"Oh, yeah, that’s Ryouga, all right." Daisuke chided. "The master Ninja himself."

"Watch it." Ryouga growled, glancing menacingly at Daisuke, who shrank back to his seat, quietly.

"At any rate," Agotsu said after an uncomfortable moment of silence. "These people had also shared the same dilemma I faced. These people are ruthless, Hibiki. They’re the ones that assaulted your samurai friend, not I."

"What?" Ryouga snarled, angry. Ukyou seemed puzzled.

"But, why Ryu?" she said, more to herself than anyone else. "I mean, we know HE’S not cursed."

"Who can say for sure?" Agotsu said. "The simple fact is that I came upon the two responsible for the savage beating, old foes of mine that have dogged me mercilessly in the past. I heard them discussing what they had done, and your name came up."

Ryouga was taken aback. He started to stammer something, but was unable to muster up anything to say to express his surprise.

"Naturally, I was interested, so I proceeded to the place they’d come from, which is when I ran into you." Agotsu concluded. "I had found the Daisho near the area and tossed it to the ground…and you know the rest of the story."

The room was silent for a moment as everyone drank in the depth and breadth of Agotsu’s long tale.

"So, you’re pissed about a food bill Ryouga’s great granddad or something skipped out on?" Daisuke said, his disbelief apparent in his tone.

"Well, uh, there’s more to it than that, if you think about it…" Agotsu explained lamely. Daisuke shook his head, stunned.

"I thought these people only lived in Nerima." Daisuke said, more to himself than anyone else. "My God, I think I’m the last sane person alive."

"Don’t belittle my quest!" Agotsu sneered. "I don’t see YOU with an ancestral slight to avenge! Where’s yours, hmm?"

"Well-"

"I THOUGHT so." Agotsu said dismissively before Daisuke could respond. "Sit down, peasant."

Daisuke huffed, annoyed, but said nothing else. Ryouga and Ukyou exchanged worried glances, reaching similar conclusions mentally. Both were, after all, experienced, when it came to dealing with wacky cults and secret societies that hunted people for no good reasons.

"Agotsu," Ukyou said, matter-of-factly. "You say these people are always around?"

"Yes, I believe so." Agotsu said. "What of it?"

"So, then, we can assume they’re watching us right now, right?" she said. Agotsu nodded, slowly.

"Yeah, I think so." He said. "I don’t understand what you’re getting at."

"What I’m getting at, is that THEY ARE PROBABLY PLANNING TO KILL US RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF YOU!" she shouted. Agotsu, stunned, was actually hurtled backwards physically somewhat by the force of her voice.

"Oh, oh, THAT’S wonderful." Daisuke chided as Agotsu struggled to sit back up, his hair mussed. "More psychos trying to kill me. They probably have Super Fantastically Powerful Magic Ninja Powers to match their Super Fantastically Retarded Ideas, too."

"Daisuke, relax." Ryouga growled. "We have to come up with a plan."

"Why?" Daisuke said, agitated. "Listen to me, I’ve seen like a million TV shows and OAVs, and I know what I’m talking about here. These guys are probably going to drop suddenly into wherever we are, whenever we least expect them, and be all mysterious and stupid and say some idiotic line, like " Time to meet your doom...OF EVIL!" and attack us."

"What?" Ryouga said. "That’s stupid. We need to seriously come up with some kind of plan of action, here, you know."

Suddenly, almost silently, the shoji doors slid open, and two men were standing in the doorway, one on either side. Each man slid his half of the shoji screen open slowly, both of them with closed eyes. They wore traditional samurai clothes, and carried katana and wakazashi at their sides. Ryouga swore he could almost hear a haunting flute, like the ones he heard in those old Kurasawa films. The two figures stood in their respective positions, unmoving, for a few moments.

"Uh…." Ryouga said, confused. His companions were pretty much silent. "I…uh…don’t suppose you’re the, uh, guys that we were talking about, are you?"

The two figures simultaneously opened their eyes, ever so slightly, and looked at one another.

"Indeed." One of them said as they both drew their swords out in an instant. Ryouga’s eyes widened and his muscles tensed, but he knew it was too late already. The whole room felt like it was smashed into by pure energy. He felt things collapsing around him, but wasn’t sure of what they were. He felt himself lifted up and hurtled backward. He cringed, bracing himself, expecting to hit the wall at any minute, but he just kept going. He finally came to a stop, dazed but not seriously injured, and felt the soft grass underneath him. The world around him was all flashing lights and patterns. He couldn’t see a thing. "Dammit." He groaned, collecting himself to his knees and rubbing his eyes, annoyed. "Stupid gimmick attacks."

As his world came back into focus, he was instantly relieved to see Ukyou, alive and for the most part untouched, kneeling not far from him. She appeared as dazed as he, but otherwise fine. He also noted, slightly to his dismay, that Daisuke and Agotsu were in similar situations. He looked back at the house, and saw that the wall he’d expected to hit was no longer there. The two samurai stepped through the charred hole, re-sheathing their swords as they did so, both their eyes locked hard onto him.

"Ryouga Hibiki…Agotsu Kourenai…" one said, the one in the green and gold. "The time of your absolution is at hand."

"What’s that mean!?" Ryouga whispered to Daisuke, who was shaking the daze from his head while sitting up.

"I think it means they’re gonna beat us down now." Daisuke said, still fazed. "Well, you two, anyway."

"Yeah, okay." Ryouga nodded. "That’s what I thought."

"You are abominations of nature, accursed of the earth…" the other, blue clad samurai said coldly. "Two souls vying for one body. We have come to set you free."

"You mean, to cure us?" Agotsu said, hopefully.

"Not quite." The samurai said, staring into Agotsu’s soul. "To kill you."

End of Chapter Six.