Title: Release

By: lucydod

Fandom: Samurai X

Rating/Summary: T, for violence. Master Hiko takes responsibility for his mistake.

Disclaimer: I don't own Samurai X or any of it's characters. This work is pure fiction for your (and my) enjoyment. Thanks for reading!

Release

A faint change in the breeze caught Hiko's attention. Something felt...wrong. He couldn't explain why, but he was suddenly drawn to that place. The place where he'd met the boy. It seemed like such a long time ago. Yes, he needed to return there–to the graveyard. The place where Shinta died...and Kenshin was born...

An eerie blood red light filtered through the trees as he walked amongst the grave markers. He kept moving forward until he reached the three stones of the women who'd cared for the boy before the massacre. He'd loved them so much that he wanted to make their graves special.

He remembered that day. Remembered looking at the small red haired boy and thinking how much his wise, almost adult-like voice conflicted with the small, frail image before him. Now, as he stood there, he saw a new addition to this shrine of loved ones.

It was a regular wooden cross like the others, only this one had been adorned with a deep blue silk sash that smelled faintly of white plums. But, that wasn't the thing that caused a deep, terrifying dread to spill over the sword master's heart. A small, wooden top also hung there, attached to the cross by a lock of long red hair. The fine hairs shone like threads of woven blood...

That top. It was the only thing that Hiko could think of that gave Kenshin joy. The only thing that made him seem human, for it brought out the emotions that he'd otherwise keep locked up inside, be them good or ill. This release helped to keep him sane.

Hiko shuddered at the thought of what Kenshin may be capable of without that release. But he knew... Somehow, he knew. He'd heard the rumors. The tales of a red haired demon prowling the countryside and murdering at will. He'd hoped that the demon wasn't Kenshin, but he could no longer deny the truth that had been staring him in the face the entire time. "I've created a monster." he murmured regretfully. "And now, I must stop him..."

It wasn't difficult to tell where Kenshin had been. Several grave markers similar to the ones near his home lined the countryside. Dozens of graves...and all of them created by one person...

"I never should have allowed him to leave. I knew the factions in this conflict would use the boy for their own selfish gains. I knew that he'd be torn, that his soul would shatter. So why didn't I stop him?" Hiko wondered, gazing into the pure blue sky.

As he traveled he heard more rumors. Each one pointed to Kenshin. Especially a curious tale of a red haired assassin and how he was betrayed by the one closest to him. Of a long, painful struggle deep in some unknown wood where the assassin ultimately killed his love when she tried to stop his opponent from harming him any further. Legend had it that this woman formed the trademark cross-shaped scar on the assassin's cheek–a final tribute to the death of her fiancee and finally, her own. A living testament, a brand that would forever mark the assassin as a murderer. Hiko sighed, his admission falling on deaf ears. "I'm sorry, Kenshin. It's all my fault..."

He was close.

Hiko walked slowly through the forest, following the telltale ring of steel against steel. Soon he reached the edge of the clearing, and that was when he saw him. Three men already lay dead at Kenshin's feet and four more were preparing to join them.

Hiko studied his former pupil. He'd changed drastically. The weight of the world and all of it's horrors shown in the young man's eyes. His movements were not those of an eighteen year old boy, but rather that of a man who'd lived many lifetimes.

Hiko waited breathlessly as Kenshin prepared himself for another attack. Witnessed as his pupil killed the remaining men flawlessly, effortlessly. And when the battle was done, watched as he carelessly flicked his blade, cleansing it of blood before slowly sheathing it. Then he stood there, staring straight ahead yet seeing nothing.

Hiko studied Kenshin's face. He saw no remorse or emotion of any kind in the boy's amber eyes. "Amber?" Hiko mused. "I remember them being purple..."

Kenshin had begun to walk away but immediately stopped as Hiko stepped into the clearing. "I knew you would come...eventually." Kenshin murmured softly.

Stunned, Hiko replied, "Yes. I've come to stop you Kenshin. This brutality must cease! I did not train you so you could use Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu as a tool for murder."

Kenshin slowly turned. His amber eyes were narrowed, a slight smile touching the corner of his mouth. He laid a hand carelessly upon the hilt of his sword and murmured, "Oh, but I don't think you understand. I'm not Kenshin..."

Hiko stared at the boy in confusion. "What?"

"Surely you've heard or the Hitokiri Battousai?" Kenshin droned, awaiting the other man's reaction.

A cold blanket wrapped around Hiko's heart. So the stories were true. He should have ended this much sooner. "Your reputation dies with you tonight." Hiko declared, drawing his blade. "You won't murder anymore innocent people."

Kenshin, or rather the Battousai, sighed. "So many have made that same idle threat. What makes you think that you will succeed?"

"I have to. Not only to save those who have so far been lucky enough to have never met you, but also to save my pupil. I want to save you, Kenshin! Only I can save you from yourself and give you the peace that you have longed for your entire life..." Hiko murmured softly, his declaration echoing in the ensuing silence.

Something flashed in Kenshin's eyes. Something of the Kenshin he once knew flickered briefly, giving Hiko hope. "Oh no you don't." murmured the Battousai as he drew his sword. "I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work. Kenshin can't hear you. It's only you and me..." He suddenly lunged at Hiko, almost catching the swordsman off guard. "Oh, I see you're getting soft in your old age." the Battousai taunted.

They met once more, blades flashing. Hiko received a slight cut on the arm, but the Battousai remained unscathed. "You know you're going to lose, don't you?" the Battousai sneered. "Why are you throwing your life away?"

"If my death ends your tyranny and saves Kenshin's soul, then it'll be well worth it." Hiko hissed.

"You really care about Kenshin, don't you?" the Battousai murmured, a bit unnerved. Suddenly, a change spread over Kenshin's body. His eyes darkened into a familiar shade of purple and his sword hand shook slightly...

"Now is my chance!" Hiko thought. He lunged forward, sword plunging deep into Kenshin's side. "No!" screamed the Battousai as he applied pressure to the wound. His eyes were now a mix of amber flecked with purple. "Stop it!"

Hiko was stunned. He wasn't talking to him. The Battousai was now fighting with his other self...and Kenshin was winning. Suddenly, Kenshin turned to face him and cried. "Do it now! Kill me while I still have control!"

Hiko nodded sadly in understanding, quickly running his blade through the boy's heart. "No!" the Battousai cried as he staggered backward. He fell to his knees, hand pressed futilely to his chest. "No...it can't end like this." he whimpered as he coughed painfully, tasting the cold, metallic flavor of blood.

He turned his hate filled amber eyes on Hiko as he fell limply to the ground, blood pooling under his thin body and mingling with his deep red hair.

Hiko knelt at his dying pupil's side and grasped the boy's cold hand in his own. Kenshin slowly opened his dazed, purple eyes and murmured, "Master...where... I can't see you."

"I'm right here." Hiko said sadly. "You're not alone." He began to cry.

"Th-thank you." Kenshin murmured, offering the stricken man at his side a wistful smile. "The nightmare. It's finally...over." Kenshin coughed painfully, his face crumbling into an expression of intense pain before once again softening. "Promise me...when I die..."

"Yes." Hiko said, voice breaking.

"Please don't cry..." Kenshin whispered, tears spilling down his own cheeks.

"I'm not crying!" Hiko barked, swiping at the tears on his cheeks.

Kenshin smiled knowingly. "When I die..." he continued. "promise me. Please, bury me next to Tomo and the others. I miss them so much..."

"Yes." Hiko breathed. "I promise."

"Thank you." Kenshin murmured, smiling softly. Suddenly, his body stiffened as a surge of pain swept through him, making him gasp for breath. "It...won't be long, now." he confided, cracking Hiko's resolve once more. "I want to thank you...Master.." Kenshin breathed. "No, not Master...friend..."

Hiko watched as the life drained from Kenshin's body with that final word. He was still so young, but now... Hiko sighed. "May you find peace at last, Shinta. And forgive me..." He offered this final prayer as he allowed his grief to finally fill him, his mournful cries filling the void that Kenshin had left behind.

Hiko walked through the cemetery for the last time. He smiled at the cluster of markers at it's heart and confided, "I, too, must move on. That is a lesson that I have learned from you, Kenshin. Life is short. It's about time that I lived mine to honor those who never really had the chance to live theirs. Peace be with you now and for all times. Thank you...and goodbye..."

The end!

Thank you so much for reading! So, what did you think? Pretty depressing, huh? I don't know why, but everytime I think of Kenshin and his life, I can't help but be depressed, so that is where this sad fic came from. (I seem to be better at the sad ones. Hmm. I wonder why?) Please review!