Chapter Thirty- To Protect

~*~

Sano wiped some sweat from his face and couldn't help but smirk in satisfaction as he watched yet another punching bag become dust before him. "I am so good," he murmured in approval.

For a moment, the Bishonen turned to look around himself. He was, for the most part, alone in the huge gym.

At least, he was training alone; on the far end of the gym room Kenshin was play-sparring with Inuyasha. Sano gave a soft snort of disbelief at that. Despite Inuyasha's repeated efforts to distance himself, the half-demon had given in to the inevitable and was now giving Kenshin sword lessons. It was as close to playing with the kid as he would ever get.

And in a corner, even farther away, sat Chichiri. Sano frowned slightly, then shook his head at the immediate swell of. what? Something. rise up in his chest. The magical Bishonen was sitting cross-legged with his index finger on his lips, probably meditating or practicing a spell.

Ah, who knew and who cared?

As for Heero, well, he had no clue where Heero had gone. He'd probably disappeared to the bathrooms, or to the next room with that girl Kimiko and HER Bishonen. Whatever the case, he wasn't in the room.

Sanosuke turned back to his former punching bag, which was now a pile of dust and cloth on the floor. Then he discreetly kicked the lot under a nearby carpet and moved on to the next bag.

It was then that his glance happened to pass over a nearby window. His gaze snapped back to the window in question when he saw something- no, someone- move around beyond it.

The fighting Bishonen turned to fully face the window, which was about twenty feet away. He frowned, wondering who would be skulking around a Bishonen gym.

His question was answered when a Bishonen's grinning face appeared to look at him. Sano blinked in mild surprise at this, and then raised an eyebrow. What was a Bishonen wandering around out there and not coming in? Was he still free?

Well, in that case maybe he could get some news from the `wild' Bishonen. Sano eased towards the window. For some reason, he didn't want the others to notice him doing so.

However, he paused when the Bishonen- a Hiei, to be exact- proceeded to smirk and give him the finger. /What the hell? / Then Sano began to fume when said Bishonen turned around and patted a certain part of his anatomy, taunting him.

Then Sano relaxed and smirked. /Ah, so you want a fight, eh? Why the hell not? / He cracked his knuckles and approached the window, which thankfully was easily accessible. Soon, he opened it and poked his head out. "You want something, you little creep?"

The demon laughed and showed him another rude gesture before turning away.

"Come on, I know better ones than that," Sano said. "You wanna fight, don't you? Well, let's go have one, then."

"You bet I do," Hiei said. "Come to the woods. We'll fight unsupervised there."

"Good. I haven't had one of those in a long while."

"Then you're gonna be beat into the dust, you lazy, decrepit old man!" The demon hurried away.

"Oh, you are so dead for that!" Sano lunged out of the window after him.

~*~

Chichiri blinked and glanced up, sensing a familiar Ki racing away. Looking around, he discovered Sano was missing. "Da?" he wondered.

Inuyasha and Chibi Kenshin paused in their play-sparring so Kenshin could ask, "What's wrong, Chichiri that is?"

The blue-haired Bishonen frowned behind his mask, while to the others he seemed to be grinning cheerfully. Then he shook his head. "I'm sure it's nothing. Sano just left, no da."

"Yeah, out the window," Inuyasha said. He snorted. "Some demon was taunting him. I am gonna laugh my ass off when he comes back beat to nothing!"

"Language, no da!" Chichiri said, glancing at Kenshin.

The Chibi smiled. "Ah, it's okay, that it is. I've heard worse from Uncle San a million times, that I have!"

"Still, it's the principle of it. ah, forget it no da." /I guess I'm worrying over nothing, but I don't recognize that other Ki Sanosuke was following./

~*~

Sanosuke stopped as he found the demon in a clearing a few minutes later. The Hiei Bishonen was facing away from him, looking like he was flexing his muscles. Where he'd been wearing a tunic earlier, the demon was now shirtless, allowing said muscles to bulge and pulse with his strength.

Needless to say, Anya's first Bishonen could care less. He got into a fighting stance, readying his fists for some serious contact. "So do I get to kick your sorry butt now, demon?"

"I'm pretty certain it'll be the other way around," was his reply. Hiei turned around.

Sanosuke blinked as he realized the demon's skin was becoming an odd greenish hue, and eyes were beginning to open all over his bare skin. "Ugh, how revolting! Must be a pain to take care of all those eyes," he said.

The demon snorted. "You seem to be fairly sure of yourself. You're either very strong, or a fool. Forgive me, but you seem more the fool."

Sano shrugged. "That's your opinion. Suit yourself." With that, he lunged in for the first blow.

He didn't have time to see the nasty smile on Hiei's face.

~*~

"GUYS!"

BAM!

"DAAAAAAAAAA!" Chichiri turned SD. "What is that, no da?!"

Anya stood in the doorway, breathing hard and keeping a tight hold on Heero (who looked somewhat bemused at all of this). Behind her stood Jacky, clutching onto her Shippou and Miroku Bishonen. Abby and Paul, whispering what had been said to Kimiko, stood behind them.

"What's going on?" Inuyasha asked, lowering his sword again. "Can't we get ANY decent training here, or are ya gonna keep BANGING on everything?"

"Guys, we gotta keep together or we're gonna be in serious trouble!" Anya reported.

".What?"

Anya quickly related what had happened to the present Bishies, adding in every bit of the conversation with Kara she could remember. Finally, she concluded, "So now we're pretty sure I'm gonna be Kara's next target. Where's Sano?"

"He ran off a while ago," Inuyasha said, shrugging. "Saw some demon and wanted to fight him."

"What kind of demon?"

"A. Hiei, no da," Chichiri said.

"Chichiri, can you sense him?" Anya demanded.

"Um." He paused for a moment. Then he stood up. "We've gotta get moving no da."

"What? Why?" Chibi Kenshin asked.

Chichiri paused to remove his mask and give his smaller friend a grave expression. "Because your uncle's in trouble. Serious trouble."

"Is he okay?" Anya asked.

"Well." Chichiri paused again. "He's alive."

"What?! We gotta get going NOW!" Anya demanded. "Which way?"

Wordlessly, Inuyasha and Chichiri both pointed at the window across the gym. Equally without words, Anya and Kenshin raced towards said window, wondering just how bad Sano was doing right then.

~*~

Anya climbed out of the window without a problem, but Chichiri had to aid Chibi Kenshin. The Chibi in question silently cursed his small body as this happened, but was soon too busy racing after Anya and the others to care.

/Uncle San's in trouble! He's getting hurt! I can't let him get hurt!/ the Chibi thought. His hands clenched tightly on his wooden sword, which he held in front of him as he ran. Sometimes he used it to beat away underbrush so he wouldn't hurt himself. /I hope we get there and he can help us take care of that. demon guy!/

"There!" Chichiri said. He pointed ahead of them with his staff. "He's right there, no da!"

Kenshin looked ahead as they entered the next clearing. He stopped, felt his breathing and heart stop with him, and thought he might, for the first time in his life, faint.

~*~

Sano, needless to say, was not doing well.

He was no longer able to stand on his feet, as one leg was broken. Well, all right, his injured leg was a bloody mass. He was forced to defend himself from a sitting position, which only made the situation worse. Cuts and new bruises were already forming all over his body. His headband was on the ground ten feet away from him, and his jacket was torn almost to shreds.

Hiei, meanwhile, had only one bruise forming on his left arm.

Anya stopped, her heart in her mouth at the scene. "Oh my God. Sanosuke!" She started to march out.

"Don't!" Chichiri grabbed her by the arm. "Whoever this is MEANS harm, and I'm not having you get hurt!"

"Sano's hurt, you idiot!" she hissed. "I have to distract that bastard-"

"You think he wants YOU to get hurt?" Chichiri demanded.

"Will you all stop babbling and decide what we're doing?" Inuyasha said. He held onto his sword hilt ruefully. "I can't help worth crap cause I'm not helping a human here."

".Uncle. Uncle San."

"Well, what do you want to do then?" Anya asked.

"I'll go out and help him, no da."

"You'll get hurt too."

"It's better than you getting hurt!"

"Guys-" that was Shippou "- calm down, this isn't helping Sano!"

"We need a mission objective," Heero stated.

"Uncle San!"

"I can't take this!" Anya declared, and turned back to the clearing.

Chichiri, Heero, and Jacky all held onto her this time.

"You guys! Sano's hurt, he might die! Let me go! We gotta help him!"

"We need a PLAN!" Chichiri insisted.

"THERE'S NO DAMN TIME FOR A-"

"UNCLE SAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Everyone, including the battle, stopped as a bright glow enveloped the area. In the very center of it stood a sobbing, enraged Chibi who's eyes were beginning to flash with gold.

The group, enemy and friend alike, stared. Everyone was transfixed as slowly, Chibi Kenshin began to grow. The brightness surrounding him only allowed his trainer and the others to see his outline, but she got the general idea of what was happening to him. He grew a good two or three feet, became tall and slim. His hair became even more unruly than before, and much longer. His small, Chibi clothing became mere shreds.

With a roar, Kenshin, now in San mode, grabbed his small wooden sword and lunged at the surprised Hiei.

Time slowed, then stopped.

Wood connected with Hiei's middle, not to mention at least three of his eyes.

The demon howled in pain. All of his eyes closed automatically against any more coming attacks, then disappeared altogether. His skin returned to a normal hue, and he fell, gasping for breath for a moment.

The newly changed (and still quite unclothed) Kenshin stood over him, panting as well. His eyes were pure gold now as he stood before Sano.

"How dare you hurt him," he whispered.

Hiei looked up, and glared at him. "I hurt. who I wish," he spat.

"How dare you," was his only reply.

"You won't do any better than your friend."

Kenshin raised his wooden sword in reply.

The group winced. Any other man would have looked ridiculous with a child's sword in his hands. However, Kenshin managed to make the seemingly insignificant `toy' a menacing, deadly threat to the demon.

Apparently, Hiei seemed to sense he wasn't in the best position to fight at the moment; his eyes were injured, he was out of breath, and he would have to deal with an enraged, newly transformed Bishonen. Thus, he stood and glared at them all before disappearing from sight.

Sano, who'd been watching all this with a stunned look on his face, finally groaned in pain and fell flat on his back.

Anya blinked and ran over to him. "Sano! Are you all right? You baka! You shouldn't follow strange Bishonen into the woods, especially those stronger than you!"

He managed a small whimper as a reply.

"This is bad, no da," Chichiri said, kneeling by Anya to look at Sanosuke. "His leg's ruined unless we can get him to a hospital NOW."

"Can we take your hat or your cloak?" Anya asked.

He nodded. "Yes." He started to undo his cloak.

"That. bastard.." Kenshin whispered. He was still trembling from rage.

"Kenshin." Anya stood to put a hand on one bare shoulder. "Calm down. You saved Sanosuke. Let's get him to a hospital and heal him for now, okay?"

The redhead turned to regard his trainer for a moment. At first, he looked wary; then she saw recognition. Finally, he smiled faintly. "As my trainer wishes."

Then Anya looked down at him for the first time, and blushed deeply. "Ah. before we go to the hospital, um, Kenshin, you may want to get some clothes first."

"You may be right, Annie-dono, that you may be."