Deathmatch Under the Moon

Jin-e has retreated to a small grove in the woods, where he is holding Kaoru. Kenshin appears, but with a stern face, and an even sterner voice. Kaoru realizes his eyes aren't the Kenshin that she knows, and Jin-e smiles, realizing that the battousai has turned back to his old ways. They begin to battle, and after a while, Kenshin is slashed in the arm. Jin-e scoffs, saying he was wrong after all. He decides to take a step further, and uses his paralyzing technique on Kaoru, this time pumping it up to its maximum. Not only is it freezing her body, but her lungs as well. There's only two ways to free someone from the spell: If they themselves have enough power to break the paralysis, or if the caster is killed. With Kaoru's life on the line, Kenshin rises, his eyes blazing.

Back at the dojo, Sanosuke and Yahiko find a note from Kenshin telling them that if he doesn't come back alive, to sic the police on Jin-e and save Kaoru. Worried about Kenshin, they head off to find him.

Back in the forest, Jin-e attacks Kenshin, but Kenshin disappears in a blur, and then slams his sword into Jin-e's face, knocking him back. Jin-e is dumbstruck; he didn't even see Kenshin move. He smirks, and gets back up. He then casts his illusion technique on himself, neutralizing it and releasing his true power. Kenshin is poised, and Jinei attacks with a downward strike. Kenshin parries, and at the last minute, Jinei pulls out another hidden sword, ready to deal the finishing blow... However, he feels a sudden crack in his elbow, and looks to see Kenshin holding his sheath in his other hand. Kenshin has just broken the ligaments in Jin-e's right arm, preventing him from ever using a sword again. He raises his sword to kill Jin-e, but Kaoru suddenly shouts out at him to stop. It seems that her deep feelings for Kenshin, and her desperate want for him not to revert to the Battousai, allows her to break the illusion and come free. Kenshin rushes over to her, as she collapses into a faint. Jin-e stands up behind him, and pulls out his sword with his left hand... and then plunges it into himself, realizing there's no place for him in this world as long as Kenshin is around. Sanosuke and Yahiko join up with Kenshin just afterwards, and the four head home, Kenshin's mind a bit clearer.