Disclaimer - Ahh...Kenshin is mine for the taking...
Aoshi - Really?
(The sound of kodachis unsheathing fills the air)
Hitoezakura - Kenshin is Nohiburo Watsuki's! Calm down Aoshi!
Hitoezakura now wonders whether this is a good time to start yet another story – she's on the verge of AP Exams, and yet, she feels compelled to start it.
Then she decides, what the heck? She'll start it anyways.
Alright, so let me clear up things. This is actually the first time I am completely tampering with the storyline of Rurouni Kenshin (well, somewhat tampering) by starting a story in the Kyoto arc (well, a little before it, but you get the point!)
So, this story is actually based on one small twist. What if Megumi had been unable to convince Kaoru to leave her bed after Kenshin's departure? Naturally, out of concern, Megumi would join Yahiko so that the ten-year-old wouldn't have to make the journey alone, and she of course would want to make sure that Kenshin is safe. So the story is based on that tiny twist. And if you do recall, the dojo receives a special visitor after Kaoru and Yahiko left in the actual version…
But let's just leave it at that…
Anyways, I hope you enjoy the prologue, and I hope you'll enjoy the story that follows!
A TWIST IN FATE
Prologue
The noise in the ballroom slowly dissipated as the footsteps of Himura Kenshin, Myoujin Yahiko, and Sagara Sanosuke retreated, hurrying to the observatory to rescue Takani Megumi from her prison. A dead silence reigned in the room, but unlike the silence, not all the men in the room were dead. One man remained standing, his white trench coat hanging limply on his sagging shoulders, his black bangs shadowing his eyes and the furious grief that swirled in the icy blue orbs. Blood decorated the floor in splatters, decorated the white trench coat with crimson streaks, and filled the air with a metallic, unbearable stench. Amidst that blood were four men, bullet holes strewn all over their bodies, indicating that the bullets from the Gatling gun standing in the entrance had savagely ripped through the flesh and bone of the fallen men.
Shinomori Aoshi's grief was unbearable as he stared at the men he had treated like his own family, the men that had faithfully followed his every order, the men that sacrificed their lives to save their injured Okashira. The scent of their blood mingled with the scent of his in the lonely and abandoned room as one man wallowed in the grief, suffering the loss of his comrades and dearest friends. The ice blue eyes suddenly shone with unshed tears as one by one, he replayed the deaths of his comrades as each one dove to protect him from the Gatling gun, as each one dedicated their last words to him, their Okashira, the man who was supposed to protect them from danger.
I brought you here so that the name of the Oniwabanshuu could reclaim glory, so that you would not be left behind in the dust as the Oniwabanshuu slowly dissipated, so that you could gain a career…
All you have gained is death…
What was the point of bringing you here?
Battousai…the man they called the strongest, the man who defeated me, the man who took advantage of Hanya's death…you will not escape my hands this time. I shall surely kill you.
Only then will my men rest at peace – when the title, the flower of the strongest is bestowed upon their dead bodies…when the Oniwabanshuu are recognized for their loyalty, power, strength, and indestructible spirit.
Mark my words Battousai…take them seriously.
I shall surely come for you.
The sound of the police whistles suddenly pierced the silence, causing the sheen of tears to disappear in annoyance and fury. Aoshi could hear the whistles and the calls of the policemen growing louder by the minute, and he knew that Battousai and his little posse must have rescued Megumi by now. Escape was the only method out of this situation.
But I cannot leave my men behind…I cannot let them soak in their blood…I am their leader, and I will arrange for a burial of sorts!
But I cannot let them face the shame of being treated with hands that don't care for them, being buried or cremated by hands that have never known their loyalty, faithfulness, and strength…
Aoshi unsheathed one of his kodachi and one by one, he cut through the flesh of his friends, severing each head from their body as the kodachi sank into the soft skin and muscle of the neck and sliced through the bone. The pools of blood increased, but Aoshi could not take notice in them any longer. He quickly sheathed his kodachi, grasped all four heads by their hair, two in each hand, and scanned the ballroom for the quickest escape.
The woman will immediately remember Kanryuu's secret passage through the ceiling…but it will take her a decent amount of time to recall that Kanryuu also has a secret passage through the attic…
That shall be enough time to escape.
Aoshi stealthily moved towards the attic, walking past the blank and dull walls of the dark attic until he finally pushed his way out through the doors of the entrance and found himself in the forest behind the house. He pushed past the rogue branches and stealthily climbed the wall, the heads still in his hands. Just as he managed to reach the top of the wall and stood up, ready to leap down from the wall and enter the entanglement of trees, he heard the sounds of the policemen combing the area he had just exited.
"The door's open. He did come through here." Megumi's voice rang out even in the wind, clearly recognizable to Aoshi.
If the doctor is here, that mean's Battousai is here too…
I shall tell him that I have a score to settle with him…
Aoshi turned, standing at his full height, glaring down at the troops, carefully watching Kenshin's gaze until it met his and widened in surprise. He noted that the rest of the policemen were also staring at him in fright as their gaze drifted to the bloody heads that he held by strands of their hair.
"What are you doing? Arrest him!" yelled the Police Chief, but he suddenly found himself on the ground, knocked down by Sanosuke.
"Not so fast" muttered Sanosuke. "You'll all just be killed."
Sanosuke's gaze suddenly met Aoshi's, staring at him undaunted from his post on the ground.
"It's not your fault. That Gatling gun – what could you have done?" asked Sanosuke.
I could have protected them…
"But they were happy to do it."
How could they be happy in death when they received no glory?
"The Oniwabanshuu died to let you live."
If they made such a big sacrifice, then why should I not decorate their graves with the blood of Battousai, the last enemy they fought?
Suddenly, Kenshin's voice rang out through the silence.
"Aoshi. If you really cannot forgive yourself, let us fight, one more time…"
Aoshi glanced down to see Sanosuke, Megumi and Yahiko start in shock, but he kept his stare fixated on Kenshin.
"Fight, and then win. Take the words "most powerful" to those four's graves" explained Kenshin, his own eyes fierce as he stared up at Aoshi.
Most powerful…they deserve that title…
"Battousai."
Kenshin's gaze remained fixated on Aoshi.
"Until I come kill you…don't let anyone beat me to it."
Because I shall deliver that title…and you shall not live…
With a leap, he took off into the dark roads, ignoring the cries of the policemen behind him. He ran hurriedly, rushing to find the cold and dark refuge of the forests. However, an unusual scene caught his attention, and he halted for a brief moment, bathed in the shadows, save for his shining, ice blue eyes that protruded from the darkness.
His eyes were focused on a young woman wrestling with bandages on her doorstep. He glanced down at her fingers to see them bleeding, swollen, cracked, and basically mangled, which led him to wonder exactly what she had been doing. However, just as she wrapped her last finger, she suddenly glanced upward in his direction and stood up in surprise, her eyes fixated on his.
And for a moment, time stood still.
Inquisitive sapphire blue eyes locked on to ice blue eyes as she slowly came forward, her long ponytail swaying with each step, clenching her bandaged fingers in concern. The bandages were still clenched in her fist, and she inched towards him, concern etched on her face.
And then he suddenly heard the voices of Kenshin, Megumi, Sanosuke, and Yahiko from the distance. He immediately disappeared into the shadows, stealthily making his way into the forest, leaving the girl dumbfounded, standing in front of the doorway of her dojo in confusion.
However, before he could disappear completely, he heard the words "Welcome back!" echo through the air, greeted by Kenshin's cheerful "We're home!"
So…she is the girl who is housing the Battousai and his comrades…
His eyes turned into ice once again as he thought of his nemesis before disappearing into the dark forests, searching for the right patch of ground to bury his dead friends.
Alright...so first comes the prologue...
But I will add a chapter someday soon!
And perhaps I should work on my other fics eventually too...
Anyways, please review!