(this is my first try at a Kenshin fanfic, so bare with me. It is based from the anime, not the Manga. Enjoy the story and review it...all types of comments welcome
disclaimer: I do not own anything that is Kenshin from the show or the manga...all credit goes to the writer of this masterful peice of what I call pure art.))
What If: Kaoru
Kenshin changed the lives of everyone he came in contact with. It was either in the form of saving their lives, or changed their way of living. However what would happen if Kenshin had never met these people? What if he had arrived in Tokyo one day later?
The skies darkened over the town of Tokyo in the 11th year of the Meiji (1878). It would seem that peace has been among its inhabitants, as well as all of Japan, for some time now. However, that peace has began to grow weak as reports of killing are spread out, through the town of Tokyo. The man claiming to be Hitokiri Battousai was killing off innocents with each passing night. His motives were unknown, as each attack seemed to be purely random, in an attempt to attract the local authorities.
A young woman who appeared in her late teens stood against a wall, in the shadows, of home just off of the main street. She had black hair tied back into a very long pony tail with a blue ribbon. Her dark blue eyes showed determination as she gripped firmly a bokuto in both hands. The sound of foot steps were heard from the main street. "It is him, Battousai." The women lept out from the shadows and in front of the source of the foot steps, "I have you now Battousai!" However, the sound she heard was only a stray dog wandering for scraps in the night. The women knelt down and petted the dog gently, "I'm sorry; it would seem I have mistaken you for someone else." A shrill whistle rang out in the night air making the dog flee. The women ran towards the source of the sound. "That has to be him,"
Patrol officers surrounded a rater large man wielding a sword. His face was covered by a blue mask with an iron bar protecting the forehead. His blade already dripped with the blood of fallen officers. The man bellowed out, "Weak! You are all too weak!" After these words were spoken two more officers charged the man with swords drawn, only to be taken down with two slash of the blade.
The leader of the group gawked at the man's power. "He's strong; he must be the legendary Hitokiri with this kind of strength…" Before the officer could finish his sentence the voice of a women call out, "That's enough Battousai!" The bokuto wielding woman from before leapt over the officer's shoulder and charged the man. Her attack was aimed well, but had only one flaw. The man had a real sword and gave a deep gash to the woman's right arm. She winced and braced herself as another attack came. She lifted her bokuto high to block only to have it sliced to pieces. She laid back as the man reared back for another blow. Just as the man's sword came down, the woman was able to move to avoid complete contact. However, the attack left her with her left arm completely incapacitated as there was large cut all the way down her left shoulder. She held onto her shoulder as she looked up at the man. Her vision began to blur as she was losing blood rapidly. It would seem she was done for. The man raised his sword high and was ready to strike again when more whistles came from not too far away. The man turned and began to flee. He yelled back as the officers attempted to pursue him, "I am Battousai! Hitokiri Battousai of the Kamiya Kasshin Style!"
The woman who was nearly unconscious reached out her good hand towards the fleeing man. "Wait! Kamiya Kasshin is my family's style! You are slaying people randomly in our name." As these words left her mouth she fainted due to loss of blood.
--
"Kaoru-chan…Kaoru-chan" A voice of an elderly man called out. The woman sat up and fell back down as the pain from her arms rushed up to her head. She looked over to the elderly man and smiled weakly, "Dr. Gensai…how? I thought…" Dr. Gensai put a finger over Kaoru's lips to hush her. "Listen child, you need much rest. You are lucky those officers just happen to find me, or you would be a goner."
Kaoru tried to sit up once more, this time pushing away Dr. Gensai's hand. "No, I must go after Battousai. He is spilling innocent blood with my family's name."
Dr. Gensai took up the broken bokuto from the night before and lowered his head shaking it. "I'm sorry Kaoru, but you will not be able to go after anyone now."
Kaoru looked at Dr. Gensai with fear filled eyes. "You don't mean…" Her glance trailed across her left arm. She could see it was covered in bandages.
Dr. Gensai sighed as he placed the broken bokuto at her side, "The muscle in your left shoulder has been torn beyond repair. I'm sorry, but you won't be able to practice Kamiya Kasshin ever again."
Kaoru's eyes widen as she let herself fall back. Pain rushed through her body as she hit the ground, but that was the farthest thought from her mind right now. She thought to herself, "How can this be? Who will carry on the family tradition?"
It was at this moment Dr. Gensai spoke up once more, "Oh yes, a few of your students have arrived. Do you wish to see them?"
Kaoru nodded and Dr. Gensai stood up and left the room. Kaoru thought to herself in a slightly more happy tone, "Yes of course…I can still train them in the ideals of the Kamiya Kasshin style. Then they can carry it on for me!"
Three young men stood in the doorway of the room Kaoru was resting in. Their eyes seemed to already be tearful. Kaoru had sat herself up, but in doing this she had caused the blood flow to start once more from her wound on her left shoulder. She ignored the blood damped bandages and looked to her students. "I am glad the three of you were able to make it. As you can see I have been stricken down by the Battousai. I ask now that you three, my faithful students, train harder then ever so that one of you might be able to carry on the Kamiya Kasshin sword style for me." As Kaoru finished on of the boys raised the sleeve of his gi and wiped his eyes. Kaoru smiled slightly, "You mustn't cry over my injuries. All that matters is that Kamiya Kasshin lives on."
It was at this point that all three young men bowed low. One of the boys wearing a light blue gi lifted his head slightly. "Actually…"
The smile on Kaoru's face began to fade. "What is it?"
The boy wearing the light blue gi spoke up once more, "We are quitting as of today."
Kaoru's face turned pale. She wavered from side to side and nearly feel back, but was able to keep her balance.
The boy continued, "My friends have been belittling me lately…asking me if I studied the style known for that murderer."
The taller boy, wearing a dark green gi then spoke up, "My mother does not want me to study the style of a murderer. No matter how much I try to talk to her, she does not listen."
The last boy wearing a burgundy gi spoke up short and quietly, "I can't go on…"
Kaoru lowered her head and fought back her tears. The last hope for her father's sword style lied in these boys, but now all was lost. With them leaving everything would be over.
Then the boy in the light blue gi spoke up once more, "We know that we were your last three students left in this school…" Then all three boys bowed low and saying in unison, "We're sorry." Then with their heads still lowered then turned and walked out of the room, one by one.
As the last left Kaoru appeared as if she had stopped breathing. The shock was still about her. "How…how can this be?" Her words stuttered off of her lips as she feel back. By this point there was a small pool of blood caused by the wound on her left shoulder. She could care less now though. All she had left in life was to carry on her father's legacy, to make him proud. It would appear she had failed him. She cried herself to sleep, hoping she would not wake back up.
Dr. Gensai lifted Kaoru from bed gently. "You must get up and wash the wound Kaoru-chan." Kaoru's face was pale and showed little sign of life. She only nodded slightly and got to her feel with the help of Dr. Gensai. He helped her get to the bath and undressed. Dr. Gensai went on to tie a wash cloth tightly around the cut on her right arm.
Kaoru then stepped into the bath, "Would you please leave me alone to bath?" Dr. Gensai nodded and closed the door and left to the other side to add wood to the fire. Kaoru applied pressure to the wound on her left shoulder to keep in from bleeding. Kaoru looked up towards the ceiling of the bath house. The steam bellowed up inside and seeped out the opening at the top. Kaoru let go a long sorrowful sigh. "I'm all alone now. How am I to protect this school alone?" she continued to watch the steam as it grew.
Dr. Gensai tossed a few logs onto the fire under the bath house to heat the water slightly.
Kaoru sighed once more and looked down at the water. She let her grip go of the cloth she had over he shoulder. The water quickly stained red as the blood flowed freely from the wound. "I have nothing to go for, so why must I go on?" Kaoru then, without holding her breath, dunked herself under the water.
Outside, Dr. Gensai heard the splash. He looked up and into the bath house and saw no signs of Kaoru. "Kaoru-chan!" He raced around to the door on the other side and threw it open to find Kaoru still under the blood tainted water. He reached over and pulled her from the water. Her eyes still vaguely open, she frowned and let go a small whimper. "Why?" The words came off her lips softly as she passed out.
--
Many days had passed before Kaoru had awoken this time. As Kaoru awoken she saw a worn Dr. Gensai by her side, his eyes red and watered. "Kaoru-chan…I thought I had lost you." Kaoru let go a few more tears. She didn't know what she was thinking. Dr. Gensai was like a second father to her. He had been taking care of her since her parents had both passed away. Kaoru let go a sigh and sat up slowly. She looked at Dr. Gensai as a tear or two streamed down her cheeks. "I'm sorry for everything I have put you through. It would appear as if losing to ability to practice the sword has made me lose so much more."
Dr. Gensai lowered his head, "Indeed it has Kaoru-chan…indeed it has." Dr. Gensai then got up to leave. He walk was slow, and showed his true age. The past few days had put its toll on him.
Kaoru pulled herself up futher and noticed that the floor under her was sticky. She turned slightly and saw that the light brownish, green hue of the floor mats had been stained dark crimson. Kaoru reached up to her left shoulder and lightly touched it. She winced as it was still very tender. She lowered her head, "How am I supossed to do anything now? I am a woman, and all I have grown up knowing is swordsmanship. How can a woman who cannot even cook a descent meal survive in this day and age?" As Kaoru finished these words she heard a crash from outside the room.
She turned to the door to see if someone was there. It was at that very moment that Dr. Gensai came flying through the door and crashing into the wall directly behind Kaoru. She gasped as she turned to Dr. Gensai. He had a deep slash down his chest line and was already turning pale. "No Dr. Gensai! You can't leave me! You are all I have left!"
Tears began to well up in Kaoru's eyes as a hand reached up and slid across her cheek. "Kaoru-chan…be strong…protect your right to live…" Dr. Gensai coughed harshly as blood splattered onto Kaoru's yellow gi. Kaoru pulled Dr. Gensai closer. He then spoke again, softer, barley auto able this time. "Kaoru-chan, I've spent the last thirty years of my life caring for your family. Many of those years I cared for you. Kaoru-chan…you…are…a…daughter…I never…had…" Dr. Gensai then fell silent as a large man entered the room. Kaoru cradled Dr. Gensai's body close. The man reached out for Kaoru but she backed all the way against the wall. "What do you want?" He voice trimbled with fear.
The man laughed as he held his sword with his left arm and pointed it towards Kaoru. "What I want? That is too rich."
Kaoru then noticed man and recognized his face, "…you…you were expelled from the school when I was but a child. Your name…" Kaoru bite her lip in anxiety and thought, "…Hiruma Gohei."
Gohei laughed once more, only louder this time. "So you remember me. It has been hell these past eleven years."
Kaoru yelled back, more violent this time, "You have been slaughtering innocent people in our family name to get revenge, is that it?"
Gohei fell quiet as he drew his sword back, "That was the plan, to ruin the name of the Kamiya Kasshin style and toss it into the abyss." Gohei then reached out his other hand and began to lift Kaoru from the ground. Dr. Gensai's body dropped to the floor when she was lifted up. The ripping of flesh could be heard as Gohei lifted her by her left arm. "So are you going to beg?"
Kaoru let go a few tears and thought within her mind, "Father forgive me..."
When Gohei didn't hear a reply from Kaoru he dropped her to the ground. He then raised his sword high, "Very well, with your death my revenge be complete." As these words left his lips he swung downward with a mighty blow. Kaoru did not scream nor fight, only allow what was now her fate. Blood splatter and ripping flesh echoed through the training hall, then all was silent.
A man with long red hair and a cross shaped scar on his left cheek walked along the streets of Tokyo late in the night. He had by his side a sword. His calm blue eyes looked off into the distance as he carried a bag over his shoulder. Gohei rushes by pushing over the red haired stranger. Falling backwards, the red haired stranger he rubs his head. "My apologies sir. I was not watching where I was going, that I wasn't." However as the man had finishes his sentence Gohei was already out of sight. The red haired stranger got to his feet and brushed off his purple gi and gathered his bag. "He must have been in a rush, that he was." It was then that the man realized that there was a bit of blood stain on his hands. He looked in the direction that Gohei had ran and frowned. The red haired stranger then turned and started walking once more, knowing not what he had just missed.
- -
((well that's it...it is done...for now...There will be more to this...the "What ifs" of Kenshin coming soon...
also all thanks must go to Tokichic...she provided me with the terms needed to make this as accurate as possible...bows arigatou))
