Kenshin knew the smell of blood well. At one point in his life, it had soaked him completely. He hadn't been able to get it off of him, no matter how much he bathed. So as soon as he came through the door and the familiar sent hit him, he knew that something was terribly wrong.

And it was.

Sano and Okita were squaring off in the hallway, and they both looked the worse for wear. From the irregular sound of Sano's breathing, he probably had serious internal injuries, maybe even a punctured lung. If he didn't get medical attention soon, he could drown in his own blood. In a flash, the rurouni had put himself between them, sword drawn.

"ENOUGH!" he shouted. "Sano, what's going on?!"