Chapter 1 - Torment.
Smoke swirls in a dull gray shapelessness. A figure spins and falls through the colourless abyss. A dull gray landscape, blending into the smoky surroundings, appears before the figure. He slams head-first into the ground, bouncing and skidding several feet before stopping.
"Che." the figure mutters, pushing himself to his hands and knees, forcing himself up. "That hurt."
As he stands, he surveys the area around him.
"Oi!" he yells. "Why does this place look familiar?"
He looks around, trying to figure out what's happening. The churning of the river plays loudly around him, yet he could not see it. Then he saw it.
"Zanbatou..." It comes out, barely a whisper. "Demo..." he starts, confused, as he bends, picking up the large sword.
Suddenly, a series of devastating blows rains against his body, forcing him to the ground.
"Ryu-son-sen." he hears a familiar voice say with unfamiliar disdain.
Everything fades, then pulses back into being. He finds himself standing, turning zanbatou over head as fast as he can. A great rage fills him as he leaps for his target, still unseen.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu."
It rings out from above and he suddenly realizes why it seems so familiar.
"Ryu-tsui-sen."
A sudden devastating blow crashes into him on the head, sending him to the ground.
"Nani?" he says softly. "This is not how it happened. I didn't fall yet."
"Zanza." he hears Kenshins voice, colder and more harsh than he remembers it being that day, dripping with disdain. "Pathetic, that was."
"Masaka.." Sanosuke manages to utter. "This never happened..."
"You do not belong here, Zanza." Kenshin emphasizes his dislike in the word 'Zanza'. "You are not good enough. You never were. You never will be."
"You are not even worth the effort of drawing my blade."
The rurouni's words echo in the blackness that engulfs Sanosuke.
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"Oi! Ahou!"
The dull gray world returns to him as he hears Saitou's voice. Sanosuke looks around, trying to figure out what was going on.
Nani? he thinks. I am in the Akabeko? But I was just at the river fighting Kenshin.
"Kono-baka, What do you want?"
Saitou Hajime steps around a corner and into view. The smoke still obscures the area outside the building.
"The question is, tori, what are you doing here?" Saitou's voice is cold as ever.
"Nani?" The ex-gangster says, trying to make sense of what was happening.
"Do you think running around with the battousai will make you good enough to fight by his side? Honto?" Saitou taunts, tapping him in the chest, still bruised from the fight with Kenshin.
"Or, me?" he adds.
"Teme! What are you about? What's going on?"
The silence is deafening as Saitou looks on in obvious amusement.
"Simple, ahou. This is your wake up." Saitou steps closer. "You don't belong here."
"Don't belong?!" Sanosuke roars.
His temper gets the better of him. With a wordless roar, he lunges forward, throwing his right shoulder forth, pushing his fist, with all of his considerable strength behind it, at Saitou. Saitou easily dodges the punch, slipping only far enough back to avoid the strike.
"Sloppy, rooster." Saitou admonishes. "You have no control, no discipline."
Sanosuke roars louder, launching a massive back fist at his tormentor. Saitou, again, easily avoids the strike, ducking below the extended arm. Sanosuke feels the sudden explosion of sharp pain as Saitou rams the fuchi kashira of his katana into Sanosuke's stomach.
"We've had this talk before, ne? Still no defense."
Saitou steps to the left of the stunned Sanosuke. The inspectors still sheathed sword cracks hard against the former gangsters forehead. His head, already injured in the fight with Kenshin, cannot take the precision strike and he falls to his knees.
"You are not worth the effort of drawing my blade."
Saitou's words echo Kenshins as the world goes black around Sanosuke.
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When Sanosuke can once more open his eye, he finds he is no longer in the Akabeko. In fact, he is not even in Tokyo.
"Kyoto?" he mutters to himself, trying to clear his head.
"Aa."
Sanosuke spins, to fast, to the sound. As soon as the world stops spinning, he sees Aoshi.
"What are you doing here, Sanosuke?" Aoshi asks.
"Aa. Good question." Sanosuke replies. "I don't remember leaving Tokyo."
The world still has the gray dullness to it, but the obscuring smoke has dissipated. Unlike Kenshin and Saitou, Aoshi, at least, was still acting as he always does.
"Not that." Aoshi says. Sanosuke's stomach turns and sinks with that, guessing what Aoshi will say next. "Why do you insist on weighing the battousai down? You do not belong . You are beneath, even, Yahiko. At least Yahiko has the potential to become great."
Sanosuke growls loudly.
"You are not at our level, Sanosuke. You never were. You never will be."
"Let me guess!" Sanosuke yells, unable to control himself any longer. "I am not worth the effort to draw your blade, ne?"
Aoshi's eyes narrow, his lips twitch, and, in the time it took Sanosuke to blink, Aoshi was gone. Sanosuke begins to smile, thinking things were turning around for him, when he hears Aoshi from behind.
"Oi, baka."
Sanosuke turns to face Aoshi. The man wears an uncharacteristic smile.
"Baka-yarou." he sneers. "Too stupid, even, to know when he is dead."
It is then, that Sanosuke notices the bloody kodachi in the assassins hand and feels the warmth leaving his stomach.
"Iie..." Sanosuke mutters, vainly trying to hold his life-blood with-in his stomach. He feels the strength leaving his body. "Iie.." he croaks, even as he falls.
Landing face first on the stone paving, Sanosuke hears a loud crack as he hits.
Probably my neck, he thinks, strangely detached, judging from how I fell. So, this is how it ends for Sagara Sanosuke..
Even as that thought enters his mind, the world dims around him, finally going black. Even as that though enters his mind, Sagara Sanosuke dies.
Smoke swirls in a dull gray shapelessness. A figure spins and falls through the colourless abyss. A dull gray landscape, blending into the smoky surroundings, appears before the figure. He slams head-first into the ground, bouncing and skidding several feet before stopping.
"Che." the figure mutters, pushing himself to his hands and knees, forcing himself up. "That hurt."
As he stands, he surveys the area around him.
"Oi!" he yells. "Why does this place look familiar?"
He looks around, trying to figure out what's happening. The churning of the river plays loudly around him, yet he could not see it. Then he saw it.
"Zanbatou..." It comes out, barely a whisper. "Demo..." he starts, confused, as he bends, picking up the large sword.
Suddenly, a series of devastating blows rains against his body, forcing him to the ground.
"Ryu-son-sen." he hears a familiar voice say with unfamiliar disdain.
Everything fades, then pulses back into being. He finds himself standing, turning zanbatou over head as fast as he can. A great rage fills him as he leaps for his target, still unseen.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu."
It rings out from above and he suddenly realizes why it seems so familiar.
"Ryu-tsui-sen."
A sudden devastating blow crashes into him on the head, sending him to the ground.
"Nani?" he says softly. "This is not how it happened. I didn't fall yet."
"Zanza." he hears Kenshins voice, colder and more harsh than he remembers it being that day, dripping with disdain. "Pathetic, that was."
"Masaka.." Sanosuke manages to utter. "This never happened..."
"You do not belong here, Zanza." Kenshin emphasizes his dislike in the word 'Zanza'. "You are not good enough. You never were. You never will be."
"You are not even worth the effort of drawing my blade."
The rurouni's words echo in the blackness that engulfs Sanosuke.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Oi! Ahou!"
The dull gray world returns to him as he hears Saitou's voice. Sanosuke looks around, trying to figure out what was going on.
Nani? he thinks. I am in the Akabeko? But I was just at the river fighting Kenshin.
"Kono-baka, What do you want?"
Saitou Hajime steps around a corner and into view. The smoke still obscures the area outside the building.
"The question is, tori, what are you doing here?" Saitou's voice is cold as ever.
"Nani?" The ex-gangster says, trying to make sense of what was happening.
"Do you think running around with the battousai will make you good enough to fight by his side? Honto?" Saitou taunts, tapping him in the chest, still bruised from the fight with Kenshin.
"Or, me?" he adds.
"Teme! What are you about? What's going on?"
The silence is deafening as Saitou looks on in obvious amusement.
"Simple, ahou. This is your wake up." Saitou steps closer. "You don't belong here."
"Don't belong?!" Sanosuke roars.
His temper gets the better of him. With a wordless roar, he lunges forward, throwing his right shoulder forth, pushing his fist, with all of his considerable strength behind it, at Saitou. Saitou easily dodges the punch, slipping only far enough back to avoid the strike.
"Sloppy, rooster." Saitou admonishes. "You have no control, no discipline."
Sanosuke roars louder, launching a massive back fist at his tormentor. Saitou, again, easily avoids the strike, ducking below the extended arm. Sanosuke feels the sudden explosion of sharp pain as Saitou rams the fuchi kashira of his katana into Sanosuke's stomach.
"We've had this talk before, ne? Still no defense."
Saitou steps to the left of the stunned Sanosuke. The inspectors still sheathed sword cracks hard against the former gangsters forehead. His head, already injured in the fight with Kenshin, cannot take the precision strike and he falls to his knees.
"You are not worth the effort of drawing my blade."
Saitou's words echo Kenshins as the world goes black around Sanosuke.
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When Sanosuke can once more open his eye, he finds he is no longer in the Akabeko. In fact, he is not even in Tokyo.
"Kyoto?" he mutters to himself, trying to clear his head.
"Aa."
Sanosuke spins, to fast, to the sound. As soon as the world stops spinning, he sees Aoshi.
"What are you doing here, Sanosuke?" Aoshi asks.
"Aa. Good question." Sanosuke replies. "I don't remember leaving Tokyo."
The world still has the gray dullness to it, but the obscuring smoke has dissipated. Unlike Kenshin and Saitou, Aoshi, at least, was still acting as he always does.
"Not that." Aoshi says. Sanosuke's stomach turns and sinks with that, guessing what Aoshi will say next. "Why do you insist on weighing the battousai down? You do not belong . You are beneath, even, Yahiko. At least Yahiko has the potential to become great."
Sanosuke growls loudly.
"You are not at our level, Sanosuke. You never were. You never will be."
"Let me guess!" Sanosuke yells, unable to control himself any longer. "I am not worth the effort to draw your blade, ne?"
Aoshi's eyes narrow, his lips twitch, and, in the time it took Sanosuke to blink, Aoshi was gone. Sanosuke begins to smile, thinking things were turning around for him, when he hears Aoshi from behind.
"Oi, baka."
Sanosuke turns to face Aoshi. The man wears an uncharacteristic smile.
"Baka-yarou." he sneers. "Too stupid, even, to know when he is dead."
It is then, that Sanosuke notices the bloody kodachi in the assassins hand and feels the warmth leaving his stomach.
"Iie..." Sanosuke mutters, vainly trying to hold his life-blood with-in his stomach. He feels the strength leaving his body. "Iie.." he croaks, even as he falls.
Landing face first on the stone paving, Sanosuke hears a loud crack as he hits.
Probably my neck, he thinks, strangely detached, judging from how I fell. So, this is how it ends for Sagara Sanosuke..
Even as that thought enters his mind, the world dims around him, finally going black. Even as that though enters his mind, Sagara Sanosuke dies.