My first Samurai X story, so please be gentle.
STORY
" Please!" She had screamed, dropping to her knees before Kenshin, guarding Shishio from his raised sword. " Please don't kill him!"
With a clap of thunder, Kenshin opened his eyes.
What came before him was Saito, ignoring him completely, deeply engrossed in the cup of wine before him. It was only when Saito noticed Kenshin's gaze on him when he raised his eyebrows at him. " What is it?" he asked, sounding cautious, pulling the cup of wine towards him, away from Kenshin. " If it's my wine you want, you can just order another one from the waitress at the counter."
" It's not that, Saito. . ." Kenshin said wearily, earning a sigh of relief from the man before him. " It's just that. . .I was thinking. . ."
" Really?" Saito said sarcastically. " I never thought someone like you would."
" Not amusing, Saito." Kenshin said.
" Didn't ask for your personal opinion." Saito answered, taking another swig of his wine.
When Kenshin said nothing more, Saito blinked and dropped the cup and pushed it to one side so he could rest his elbows on the table before him. " Clearly something is troubling you." Saito said. " Care to share?"
Kenshin's eyebrows rose.
" That's so unlike you." Kenshin said.
" What is?" Saito asked.
" Well. . .caring for me."
" Yes, I'm rather shocked too." Saito said.
The two of them sat there startled for a minute before sighing and raising their cups of wine.
" I thought you preferred to stay away from wine." Kenshin said.
" This is a celebration, no doubt?" Saito said. " The final fall of Shishio. . .but we must make haste. I can't let that idiot Sanosuke know I'm alive. . .I'm in no mood for battle, and because of this wine, I might kill him in the process. I'm a Wolf, after all."
Kenshin nodded numbly.
" Right. . ." he said. " Shishio's. . .dead. . .after all."
" And it'll be pretty darn bad for us if he weren't." Saito said calmly.
They sat there in silence for a moment.
Snow.
Kenshin opened his eyes, the white flakes blinding him. He reached out to touch them, but when they reached his hands they melted; the colour moistening into the colour of. . .
" Blood." the Battousai whispered.
He looked before him and they lay her body, her beauty befitting the snow perfectly, as the snow to her. His eyes widened as he took another step towards her, his eyes widening at who he saw. " Tomoe." he whispered. He reached out to get to her, but she seemed to get further and further from him with every grasp that he took. It was when he finally reached onto her when he saw what he was holding onto.
His sword that was still plunged in her chest.
A lone tear fell from his face.
" I will protect you." he had told her.
He gritted his teeth.
That was kind of ironic, was it not?
" Battousai." Saito said, and he snapped out of his reverie.
" Yes?" Kenshin asked politely.
" Care to tell me what's on your mind?" the man asked, taking another swig of wine. " I have to admit, your quietness just makes me more and more intrigued.."
Kenshin looked up at him.
" Do you still remember the girl that stood aside Shishio?"
" The one who he pierced into to get to you?" Saito asked, eyebrows raised.
" Yes." Kenshin said firmly. " What do you think of her?"
" I don't think much of her, to tell you the truth." Saito answered after some time, filling the cup one last time. " I think she was a stupid enough woman to fall in love with a heartless murderer, and to be betrayed by him in the end."
" Aren't we all murderers, Saito?" Kenshin asked shrewdly.
" Not as much as others, in plain fact. Why?"
" I would not call her stupid." Kenshin said.
" Then what, illusioned? Or do you think that her love for him was plainly an act?"
" I don't think it was an act." Kenshin said. " Remember before you fought against Usui? When he threatened to kill Shishio, she pulled out a sword hidden in her dress."
" You didn't bring your sword today." Battousai said calmly.
Tomoe looked up at him, while he calmly looked down at her. Their eyes met for a moment. It was brief, not long. It was sweet, and yet not overdone.
" The wife of a doctor does need a sword." she had replied quite plainly.
But she had brought that sword to protect him before. . .
Just like Yumi did to Shishio.
Saito blinked. " I don't see you arguing with the illusioned bit."
" She might have been." Kenshin said. " Who knows?"
" So what's your point here?" Saito asked, impatient.
" I killed a woman who I loved to get to the man behind me before." Kenshin said quietly.
Saito was so startled he almost dropped the jug of wine.
" Just like Shishio." Saito said.
" That's right." Kenshin said calmly.
They sat there in silence.
" You're very much like him in some ways." Saito said quietly.
" And then some." Kenshin answered.
" Do you think if you had not met that stupid girl who you're with, you would have remained as the same person?" Saito asked, sounding amused.
Kenshin stayed quiet.
Would he?
Would he have been the exact same thing as Shishio was?
" Goodbye, my one true love." Tomoe had whispered to him, before falling into eternal sleep.
" I'll wait for you in Hell one step before you. . .Shishio-sama." Yumi had whispered to Shishio.
Kenshin let out a small sigh before taking another slip of wine.
Tomoe bade him goodbye.
Yumi gave him an invitation to meet again.
Saito opened a shut eye and looked at Kenshin before smirking.
" Stop thinking, you idiot." he whispered, getting to his feet. " It's very unbecoming of you."
" Saito. . ." Kenshin whispered.
Saito picked up his sword and started to walk away.
" I doubt you would have turned into Shishio even if you wanted to." he said. " Whoever this Tomoe is. . .she warmed your heart, didn't she?"
Kenshin's eyes widened.
The snow.
That was where Tomoe died in.
Saito turned for a moment to smirk at him.
" While Shishio burned Yumi's."
In eternal flames.
That was where Yumi died.
Kenshin smiled.
" Thank you." He said. " Saito."
" In exchange," Saito said. " The drinks are on you."
" Alright." Kenshin said sighing.
It was before Saito totally left from the shop when he stopped and turned to face him.
" One last thing that you both don't have in common. . ." Saito said, and Kenshin looked up.
Saito smirked.
" You don't look half as good as he is anyway."
END STORY
What do you think? Just so you know, the flashbacks of Tomoe and Kenshin were not made up by me; they were all in the OVA. Please read and review if you liked this story! Thank you!