The Seishi hurriedly began setting up for the ceremony as Ryuuen no Miko counseled Kay.

"You know what to do, right?"

"Yeah. I'm just kind of scared right now. You know? I mean, I didn't expect so much stuff to happen!"

Ryuuen no Miko placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiled. "You'll be fine. You've all done a great job so far. Now you've just got to see it through."

Reassured, Kay smiled and nodded. As the Seishi completed the preparations, Ryuuen no Miko announced, "Now, everyone get into place and focus your ki on summoning Battousai. Kay, once you have completed the incantation, throw this into the fire." She handed Kay a copy of the Shonen Weekly Jump in which the first issue of the Revenge arc appeared. "This act will complete the summoning."

Kay accepted the Jump issue, stepped up to the platform, and taking a deep breath, began.

      "From the mind of Watsuki-sensei,
       To the furthermost reaches of the globe,
       We call upon you, Himura Battousai,
       Fierce hitokiri of the Bakumatsu,
       Staunch defender of the new era,
       Master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu,
       Come to us NOW!"

      But before Kay could throw the Jump issue into the flames before her, a jarring voice sounded from the entrance of the room.

      "Cease!"

      Everyone whipped around quickly and located the source of that command. A grim, stout figure with a shock of white hair and wearing a dark gray suit loomed in the doorway.

      "Who's that?" whispered SaitouSano, pointing to the man.

      "That's President X," whispered back Ryuuen no Miko. "He runs this whole place."

      "What have you done here?" President X asked in a low voice.

      Kaoru-chan stepped forward, hands on hips, and announced proudly, "We trashed your lousy fillers! And you know what? We'd do it all over again!"

      "Yeah!" shouted Okita Soushi no Miko.

      "You tell 'im, Kaoru-chan!" cheered Hikaru.

      "Fools!" boomed President X. "Do you realize what you have done?"

      "Um. Yeah," answered Danielle.

      "We got rid of that garbage you were feeding us instead of getting to the real RK stuff," responded Ketsukei.

      "You have stopped nothing," he declared. In the silence following that bold statement, President X proceeded to explain his Master Plan to the stunned group. "All you have accomplished is to delay the inevitable."

      "What are you talking about?" demanded Giullia.

      President X continued, "Those which you so assiduously attacked and mangled-"

      "Oh, them. Don't worry. Your employees will recover," Hikaru assured him.

      "The fillers!" growled President X, gritting his back teeth in an attempt to maintain control of the situation. "You have not fully destroyed the fillers!"

      "Ore?" Shocked and puzzled, SaitouSano sought clarification. "We kicked your ass and trashed this place! So quit jerking us around, old man, and tell us what you mean!"

      "Do you see these pitiful creatures before you?" he asked, gesturing towards the battered and bruised animators. "They can be easily replaced by another team."

      He snapped his fingers, and suddenly, a new animation team appeared, complete with art supplies, scripts, and everything else necessary for their nefarious deeds.

"The fillers will never die," announced President X. "They will continue until every home, every town and city, and every country in the world is saturated with our rendition of Rurouni Kenshin!"

      He withdrew a remote control from a pocket within his jacket and pushed a button. Several large viewing screens dropped from the ceiling, displaying scenes from filler episodes. The sumo wrestler. The circus. Shura. The ring. Amakusa.

      Kay, Ryuuen no Miko, and the Seishi were aghast.

"You monster!" yelled Kaoru-chan in outrage.

      But President X wasn't done. He had one last horror to bestow. Pushing another button, President X gloated over his secret masterpiece as an enormous screen dropped right in front of the ceremonial fire.

"This is my best work of all. This is my pride and joy. This is my child, and with it, I shall be sure to spread my power over the viewing world!" He cackled evilly as images formed on the screen.

      Ryuuen no Miko, Kay, and the Seishi looked on in dawning dread, shouts of denial forming on their lips as they watched the antics of the caricatures on the screen.

      "There's nothing I can't cut with this sword."

      "Sayonara, samurai!"

 “Who will I destroy? Eenie meenie minie mo!”
 
 “Take my ribbon for good luck. You can bring it back to me after you win your battle.”

 “Meet animation’s newest superhero!”

      "Noooooo!!!!" Kay broke out of her paralyzed state. "I will stop you!"

      "There is nothing you can do," jeered President X. "I have already won."

      "I don't think so." With that, Kay threw the Jump issue into the flames, and a bright flash of light engulfed the room. As the light faded, the figure of a young man took shape. Visible were gleaming masses of red hair gathered into a high ponytail atop his head, a set of daisho at his side, and a vivid x on his left cheek. Sweeping the room
with his penetrating golden eyes, he took in the situation and then shifted his gaze to Kay. In a soft voice, he spoke.

      "Are you the miko who summoned me?"

TO BE CONTINUED

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Author’s note:  For those of you who were wondering, SaitouSano’s use of the expression “ore” is intentional.  As he explained to me in an e-mail, “When caught off guard by a comment or action will often say ‘Ore..?’ With one eye up and one down like so - o.O”