(in the snow, Battousai holds the dead body of Tomoe)

		-- In that cold, cold day, two feelings were frozen --

(Himura's cheek is bleeding)

					-- Grief --

(Enishi's hair whitens)

				      -- and Hatred --

(Tomoe smiles)

	-- And after fifteen years, the frozen feelings start moving under one smile --


-----------------

Chapter 244 - "Violent Clash of the Swords"


-----------------

(Kenshin and Enishi align their swords)

Enishi: Here I go, Battousai!

Sano: He sank to the ground!

Megumi: Is he coming with the Kofuku --?

(Enishi swirls on his ankles and unleashes a sequence of slashes upon Kenshin)

				-- Watou Jutsu --

			      -- Senran Tousei !! --

(Kenshin parries every blow. Enishi keeps on attacking.)

Kaoru: Kenshin!!

(Enishi flies towards Kenshin)

Enishi: Die, Battousai!

(Enishi's sword hit a tree instead of Kenshin. Enishi summons his strength and destroys the
tree completely. Kenshin slides until his feet stops at the foot of a tree. He glares as he
dashes forward.)

				-- Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu --

				 -- Kuzu Ryuu Sen !!! --

Everybody: !!!

Kenshin: OOOOOH !!!

Enishi: HAAAAH !!!

(Enishi parries each one of the nine attacks of the Kuzu Ryuu Sen. They land angain and attack.)

Kenshin: OOOOOH !!!

Enishi: HAAAAH !!!

(They hit each other's sword. Then they fall on the ground.)

Everybody: ...... !!

Misao: Um... (I didn't understand anything!)

Aoshi: Enishi unleashed a series of slashes, taking advantage of the centrifugal force. On the
	other hand, Battousai used the moment Enishi cut that tree and attacked with the Kuzu
	Ryuu Sen. Both of them tried big techniques, and both of them had their attacks parried
	with milimetrical precision.

Misao (whispering to Yahiko): Could you see it?

Yahiko: Are you mocking me? And at last, both of them spent all their strength in a single
	blow, and both flew backwards due to the shock that was generated in the clash of the
	two swords. Isn't that so?

Misao: Wow...

Aoshi: Yeah.

Megumi: But... I don't know if it's just me, but hasn't that man gotten stronger this time?

Sano: At the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu dojo, he didn't intend to kill Kenshin. But this time he is
	using everything he can to kill him. That's the difference.

Megumi: I see...

Sano: But Kenshin doesn't lose to him either. Not only did he come back from the living hell
	prepared by that sunglass guy, he already performed a Kuzu Ryuu Sen already in the 
	beginning of the battle. I can feel neither exhaustion nor wounds from him. And if
	we use the willpower as a measure, he's gotten stronger than before.

Kaoru: ------..... (thinking) Kenshin said that he would find the answer to atone for his 
	crimes after this battle, but... perhaps without finding the answer before this fight,
	he won't... it can't be... can he... the answer... has Kenshin......?

(Kenshin and Enishi exchange glares)

Enishi: You're slightly better than me at "speed". I am slightly better than you at "strength".
	We're tied at "technique". So, the result is a tie. I guess the only other thing that
	we can compare is "height".
	
Kenshin: We're fighting on the sand. You can't get an advantage with a longer sword.

Enishi: You're talking about Chouten Tousei. Such puny techniques are nothing but the beginning.
	Techniques that involve nothing but jumping and flying are nothing but the beginning
	in the Watou Jutsu.


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