The Difference Of You & Me

''There's always a difference between two people, likewise with finger prints. No two people would be exactly the same. Some have a bigger difference, some have less. So what was the difference between these two people who were forced to train with each other? Well, it starts from here.''

"Inei! Kaoru! Report to the office now!" the familiar voice boomed over the intercom. Inei sighed, taking his bag and walking out. Ignoring the hushed whispers from his classmates. On the other hand, Kaoru smirked when he looked at Yuuta, and slowly walked out, like a boss.

Meeting right outside the office, the two men blatantly ignored the other despite the trainings they've gone through. Inei went in first, then Kaoru. As much as they hated each other's guts, due to the tradition of the japanese, the older - Inei, would always go first. They arrived at Syuusuke Maruyama's office, seeing the witty man sitting on the huge chair.

"Good morning, Maruyama-sensei!" They both greeted loudly. A hearty laughter came out of Syuusuke's mouth. "Good morning to you too, Inei, as well as, Kaoru," his face turned serious, "Do you know why I called you here, in the middle of the lesson?" Kaoru shook his head. Inei thought for a while, "Must have something to do with that secret folder found in Akazuno Joukaku," however he hid his knowledge, "No, sensei," he finally said.

"A few nights ago, someone snuck into the school and bypassed all our security. This someone was able to take this important file. Our resources track that back to the Akazuno Joukaku in Seichiku," the sensei said. "Sorry to interrupt, sensei, but where do we come in?"

"I need the two of you to infiltrate the Akazuno Joukaku and bring back the file. It contains many big techniques of the Toko Niten Ryuu. It's vital that this information shan't be disclosed to third party," he said, once again, serious. Inei spoke, "Anything important for us to know?" Syuusuke laughed, "I'm glad you asked. When getting the file, do be careful of the high security. No one has ever came out of the fortress alive, so their security must at least be a level 9. Who knows, they might even step it up to level 10." Inei nodded, "Looks like my assassin training will help in the end, but I wonder how that kid is going to survive. I guess I'll just leave him to wait outside the gate." Syuusuke then said, "Oh, and the both of you must get the file. So no leaving Kaoru behind, Inei."

Inei sighed, "Yes, sensei. When do we leave?" "Preferably now. You should try to go in at night, where the guards will be the least attentive. To get there takes some time, so try to leave soon. You are dismissed," Syuusuke concluded.

The Journey
"I can't believe sensei made me go with this utterly arrogant senpai. I mean, I'd rather go on this mission with Yuuta. Darn!" Kaoru muttered, however it didn't get passed the ears of Inei.

"Tch, you think I want to come on this mission with you? I would've done well alone. Well, it has been decided, so let's just carry on with our task," Inei said. The two of them were seated at a table at a little dango shop they encountered in a small village on the way to Seichiku.

"The Akazuno Joukaku has the high and mighty Matayoshi Clan living inside. Their Matayoshi Kobudō is not something you'd want to see," Inei took out a layout of the castle out. He marked the main gate. "The main gate would probably have the most guards. So from afar, we'll take them out," Inei said. "We just have one tiny tiny problem," Kaoru scratched his head, "I.. can't use kidō... AT ALL." Inei facepalmed himself. "Oh god, and you call yourself a shinigami. Looks like I've got to use that..." he sighed.

"Use what? Your Zanpakutō? Your Shikai? Your.. BANKAI?!" Inei shook his head, "I'm just going to use my shikai. Nothing big." Kaoru sighed, "I haven't even learnt my Shikai and you say it's nothing big..." Inei chuckled, "You'll learn it soon, kid, so anyway. I'll take them out with my techniques. Most probably they would have some kind of alert to tell the rest about an infiltrator of some sort. Then most, if not all the guards would proceed to the main gate to try and kill us. So right after I kill the first few guards, you run to back gate and standby. I'll try to provide a distraction, then meet you at the back gate later on. Questions?"

"How would you be able to provide a distraction AND meet me at the back gate?" Kaoru asked. Inei looked at him, "Just care about yourself. I can handle it." Inei then took out his watch. "Here, take this. I'm not the type to lend such an important thing to someone else, so take care of it. Also, if you press this button," Inei took out one compartment, then on the underneath, he pressed a green button, "It'll alert my Swiss Army Knife that you're in trouble. So press it only if it's really urgent."

"Since when did you even have that watch?" Kaoru asked. "I made it last night--" he covered his mouth in realisation that he just told Kaoru that he stayed up late at night. "And how did you know you'll need it today?" Kaoru asked suspiciously. "I just made it in case. I had this gut feeling I'll need a communication device so I made it." Kaoru was clearly not convinced, but he let the matter rest.

They proceeded to going to Seichiku. Eventually, they reached during the evening. They stopped at a food shop. "You hungry, kid?" Inei asked. Kaoru nodded. "Two beef bowls please. Oh, and add two eggs as well," Inei said. After it came, Inei said, "Dig in, kid. We'll need all the energy we can get."

The Unexpected
Stationed at the front gate were around 5 guards. "Five huh... Easy." Inei opened his palms, and the stopper from the gourd fell perfectly on it. The little swiss knife then turned into a wakizashi. From a high point in a nearby building, bits of sand started flying towards the guards. The sand was so 'transparent' that the guards couldn't see it. Eventually, some of that sand entered into the first guard's eyes.

"What is up with the weather recently? One minute it's clear and suddenly a lot of sand appears!" the guard next to him exclaimed. The guard standing furthest from Inei caught sight of him, and ordered, "Protect the castle. Something... No, someone, is coming." They followed suit.

"Damn it, Inei, couldn't you have been more careful?" Kaoru asked, spitting his anger out. Inei chuckled, "You're still young," he shook his head, ignoring the kid. He clenched his fist, gathering sand inside, then opened it, the sand forming a flat surface, floating in the air. He hopped on it, and rode quickly to the gate.

The few guards, with the exception of the first guard, whom was sent back, drew their swords, seeing Inei. They saw Inei shaking his head, then felt a shadow. "Run!" one of them said, but the rest reacted too slowly, all, except two, died. "Go ring the alarm! Quickly!" The guy with a katana ran to ring the alarm, yet finding it weird how Inei didn't try to stop him.

After a few moments, more and more guards came. Inei did a quick headcount. "About 50 of them here right now. At this time, the highest number of guards they have might be 100 to 150. There's at least 100 left. It'll be too much for Kaoru," he thought. He once again, used the technique he previously used. That technique alone killed at least half of the guards. For the rest, he created sand shurikens and killed them. During that time where they were injured, about 40 more guards appeared.

"This is too much trouble," he said. This time, he created things like bullets and enclosed all of them in a sphere. His palm open, he slowly closed it, the sphere getting smaller as he slowly started clenching his fist. After a while, he just clenched it, the sphere dissolving, along with the blood of those he killed. He smirked evilly, proceeding to go to the back gate to meet Kaoru.

On The Other Side

Kaoru saw 3 guards standing together. Wearing the watch, he used shunpo and got behind one of them. The guard, sensing someone behind him, grabbed Kaoru's wrist. Kaoru panicked, though not showing it. He then composed himself, and used Ikkyō, bringing him to the ground. The other two guards saw this and drew their swords, attacking Kaoru.

Kaoru swiftly did the same, not only blocking their strikes, but also killing the person he locked. The two guards, shocked at seeing a student killing, had the same fate. Kaoru's sword pierced through one guard, then he beheaded the other, leaving an extremely bloody trail.

"I didn't think a kid could do that, you know?" a voice, which Kaoru though was Inei's, appeared. "Inei-senpai, don't underestimate..." he turned around, seeing a man with a yellow eye, "me..." Kaoru thought, "I'm screwed."

Kenshin smiled, "Looking for someone? I guess it isn't me, is it?" Kaoru judged the man for a while, "You... Are you the highest level guard here?" Kenshin laughed, "You underestimate me too, kid. I'm Kenshin, Kenshin... Matayoshi." he smiled again.

Kaoru panicked, this time it was quite obvious. Kenshin let out a small laugh, "No need to panic, kid. Your friend is going to save you isn't he? The guy with the gourd. The guy who took down all those guards by himself. Your name?"

"D-Dokugan G-Ge-Genzou.." he stuttered. "A phantom? I really meant to know your real name. I take my opponents seriously, you know?" Kenshin teased. "Shinsuke, Kaoru Shinsuke." he now spoke without a problem. He hurriedly pressed the green button Inei showed him previously.

"Well then, Kaoru-kun, want to spar?" Kenshin smiled. Kaoru was about to open his mouth, when he heard Inei's voice. "We have no intentions of playing games. We're here for something you scum stole," Inei said harshly. Kenshin laughed, "Is that so? I don't remember stealing something from kids though." Inei, angered, spit out harsh words.

He released his gourd stopper again. The sand around Kenshin started raising. "Oho? A sand user?" Before the sand could trap him, he suddenly disappeared, and appeared behind Inei. Inei ran, finding Kenshin behind him. "Oh, you're a fast one? That footwork. You must be an assassin." Inei shook his head, not wanting anyone to know his secret.

Kenshin got the message, "Either that or you learnt that somewhere. How about this, we make a deal. If you two defeat me in sparring, I'll give you passage to find the file." Inei smirked, "Two versus one? Are you serious? I know you're not a shinigami, but even then. Isn't it too dangerous for you?"

Kenshin smiled, "Ah, so you realised that I'm not Shinigami?" Kaoru looked blank, "Not shinigami? What are you then?" Kenshin said, "I'm a Yakubyougami. Not sure if you've heard of it before, but your friend here obviously has been doing research." As he said that, Inei made sure sand was raising behind him. "I don't think so." Kenshin giggled. "Hoi hoi," an azure ball starting forming, which Inei quickly responded to by using the rising sand to block both him and Kaoru.

Kenshin smiled, "Wow, that's fast. You have an affinity with Sand I presume. Do you know of the Shijinjuu? I've heard that they're looking for their guardians. Could you possibly be one of them?" Inei's expression didn't change, "The Shijinjuu guardians utilize Wood, Fire, Water and Metal. I have none of those powers. Stop trying to buy time to charge another Hakuai, will you?" Kenshin had a shock. He wondered on how that kid knew. As he was pondering, he saw a shadow coming towards him. He hurriedly compressed his reiatsu, successfully using Jikaku.

Kaoru, who was charging at Kenshin, pushed his sword forward, only to have it get rebounded. "What the.." Kaoru muttered. Inei shook his head, "It won't work unless we catch him off guard," he said to himself, "In that case..." Inei used shunpo to stand behind Kenshin, this time, using his hakuda. Kenshin was able to dodge all of them, however, he didn't know that Inei was sending signals to Kaoru.

Kaoru once again lurched his blade forward, this time actually penetrating Kenshin's skin. "Ow!" Kenshin exclaimed. "Hoi hoi, just joking," Kenshin said, appearing with the wound, but not seemingly in pain. Kaoru saw a Hakuai in front of his face. He was going to be shot by the Yakubyougami's main technique, at point-blank.

He closed his eyes in shock. After a while, he opened it, seeing himself surrounded in sand. "What did I tell you about acting on your own?!" Inei shouted at him. Kenshin laughed, "Mister Sand User, can you teach me how to utilize sand? I'm sure my cousins would love to learn."

Upon hearing the question, Inei himself started to ponder. Why he had power over Sand of all things. It was his Zanpakuto, but he was apparently able to use it before understanding that he was a shinigami. Did he have an affinity with sand? Probably if that monster didn't kill his parents, he would understand.

"Truthfully, I have no idea. It must be my Zan then. Kenshin Matayoshi, right? I just need the file back. There's no need for bloodshed," he said. "Even though I really want it," he thought to himself afterward. Kenshin smiled, "Well, I'm sorry, but I do have to protect my home." he took out his twin guns. "You have a gun too?!" Kaoru asked, quite excited.

Kenshin smiled at the kid, "I didn't think such a kid like you would behave this way. Ah well, I grant you passage. Since you two are a pretty interesting pair. Ah, but if you happen to encounter either Seishi or Shuuji, good luck. Bye!" Kenshin walked away, with Inei extremely shocked.

"Well, I guess... let's go." Kaoru said. As they walked into the castle, right before Kaoru could step in, Inei stopped him. "Wait, it's a trap," Inei said. "It's just normal floorboards, stop being paranoid, senpai." Inei used his fast reflexes to stop Kaoru from walking in. "They're just waiting to ambush us. It's impossible that a Matayoshi would let us easily get into their haven, besides, there's no way a level 9 secured castle would have normal floorboards. A level 9 would have nightingale floorboards." Inei made a sand stone and threw it on the floor in front of him, initiating some creaky sounds.



"Then how are we supposed to get through?" Kaoru asked, worried. Sand starting flowing from Inei's gourd again, this time, creating what seems to be hardened sand that was floating. "Hop on, we're going over like this." Kaoru just stood still, "That's scary."

Eventually, they managed to get past it. Kaoru was surprised, "Senpai, you have really good control over sand!" Inei looked at him and continued moving the platform, until they reached a long corridor with marble floor. "It should be inside.." They both got down, and sneakily walked into the room.

On the table, there was a file titled "TKNR". Below it was "CONFIDENTIAL". "This must be it. Let's go." Inei took a hold of it, then proceeded to go out. They had completed their first mission together!

The Real Secret
Kaoru was eager, in fact, too eager to know what was inside the file. Inei kept it hidden from Kaoru, until they went back to see their sensei.

"We're back. Here's the file you wanted, Sensei!" Inei said as he went in, only to see his sensei speaking to the Matayoshi from before. "You! Stay away from our sensei!" Inei instinctively reacted. It didn't seem like he was going to attack. It was as if...

Before Inei could tell Kaoru, Kaoru charged at the Matayoshi. Kenshin turned around and raised a finger at Kaoru's head, stopping him completely. "Hi, Dokugan Genzou, you called yourself." Inei stepped forward and faced his sensei. "That was a test wasn't it? I knew a Matayoshi couldn't possibly be that weak. However, now that we've seen the Akazuno Joukaku, aren't we going to get killed?"

Syuusuke laughed, "If you were a normal person, yes, but you have Syuusuke Maruyama, best friend of Shinpo Matayoshi as a sensei. So the answer is no. Yes, it was a test. A test that both you and Kaoru aced. Of course, with your help. I was hoping Kenshin would do a better job, and possibly help Kaoru release Shikai but his injury was in the way. Oh well, Kaoru learnt a few things from you didn't he?"

Inei smiled slightly, "Thanks for your guidance," he bowed more than 90 degrees. "Let's go, kid." Kaoru was still trying to punch and kick Kenshin, but failed, since Kenshin still stopped him with a finger. Kenshin let go, and followed Inei out.

"You catch on fast huh, Mr Assassin. You knew it was a test from the start?" Kenshin asked the blonde. "If I said I knew it from the start, I'd be lying. I only knew after you gave us passage without putting up a fight, Matayoshi. I'm Inei Namikaze, a student here. I'm not known as an assassin here, so it'll be best if you can keep that secret, Matayoshi."

Kenshin smiled, "Of course, Inei-kun. Your school is pretty darn amazing, I must say. Your sensei too. No wonder Grandpa is fond of him." Inei nodded, "Indeed. The creator of the Matayoshi Kobudo is amazing as well, even though I haven't actually seen the style." Kenshin smiled, "Thanks for the compliments to my grandpa, Inei-kun. He could be an annoying idiot sometimes though. Say, want to train together sometime?" Kenshin asked. Inei shrugged, "Why not? I'll be able to see the invincible Matayoshi Kobudo. Well, I guess your grandpa and my sensei have a lot in common!" With that, they both laughed.

''In a test, not only did a young one mature. The older one also made a new friend. Everything started changing. Good or bad, who knows....''