That evening, Kenshin and
Megumi discuss the matters at hand in private. All the
rurouni can seem to get out of her is the number of men
Kanryuu has employed in his army. How she came across
opium still remains a mystery. Kaoru tries to sneak around
and listen in on their conversation, but she is caught
by Sanosuke. Shortly after, Kenshin emerges from behind
closed doors to inform Kaoru that there may be a few problems
arising in the near feature, yet, he promises that he
will protect her no matter what. From out of the blue,
Yahiko pops up. After hearing everything, he demands to
know why he wasn't let in on the plans by Kenshin. Before
any other words are exchanged, the Oniwa Banshuu appear.
A massive man wearing a
keg on his back is the opponent this time. The beast calls
himself Hyottoko, and insists on fighting whoever chooses
to stand in his way from taking back Megumi. Sanosuke
is the first to strike. He throws his fist straight into
Hyottoko's gut, which strangely has no effect. Thankful
that his opponent got close to him, Hyottoko clenches
his only set of teeth together and produces a wave of
fire. Sanosuke is barely able to avoid being engulfed
by the flames. As a result, his right leg is slightly
burnt.
Kenshin attracts Hyottoko's
attention by calling his fire attack nothing but a cheap
trick. Enraged, Hyottoko breathes fire at the direction
of Kenshin. The rurouni is able to prevent the blaze from
scorching him by spinning his reversed blade, using his
sword as a shield. In the process, Megumi tries to flee
from the scene, but Kaoru prevents her from doing so.
Kaoru questions Megumi's actions, especially since Kenshin
is fighting for her sake. Soon enough, however, the fun
and games end for the colossal Oniwa Banshuu member.
