The sun dappled leaves gently swayed in the wind, seemingly whispering age-old secrets to one another; the only other sound in the quiet beauty of dusk. The sky was ablaze in bright hues of red and orange. He waited patiently, barely visible from behind a cluster of bushes. He was smiling, it was a lovely evening after all.
Resting his head against the trunk of a Cherry blossom tree, he breathed in the crisp evening air, which carried a subtle scent of pine. His large brown eyes softened as he watched a flock of birds cut gracefully across the sky.
It won't be long now.
A soft rustle. His breathing even, he moved his hand towards the sword that lay on his hip. Crouching a little lower, he scrutinized the landscape. It was the perfect picture of tranquility.
Without warning, he turned and leaped forward, so quick, he seemed to materialize out of thin air, leaving a trail of slashed leaves and branches in his wake.
The unseen attacker, taken by surprise, jumped back a few paces.
Soujiro smiled at his attacker, "Too slow."
The assailant, a tall man with muscles toned from years of dueling gasped in surprise, a bit in response to Soujiro's speed, but mostly because of his slender, unassuming frame.
More careful this time he cautiously took a few paces to the left before launching into an offensive attack.
Anticipating his move, Soujiro stepped away and smoothly deflected his opponent's sword. When he stepped away, his opponent was crouched on the grass, holding his bleeding arm.
Soujiro pouted, "I'm bored."
Deciding to end it, but still not bothering to use his special technique, he still ran quite fast towards the man, intending to kill him.
Whether it was skill or luck, the opponent slid away from the attack and nearly grazed Soujiro's back.
Nearly.
Soujiro chuckled. Silly mistake. He had grown too confident of himself. Ah well.
They continued sparring. Seconds turned into minutes. The sun glowed, a hazy orange orb, only half visible as it gradually sunk into the horizon. The wind stirred the trees, scattering cherry blossoms, which whirled in a wild, celebratory dance.
The opponent deflected another blow from Soujiro and crouched low on the grass, they had been fighting for nearly three minutes. He shivered with the chill in the air knowing full well that he was merely being toyed with.
"Almost worthy," Soujiro said softly, "But it's not enough, don't you see?"
Refusing to accept his fate, the man lunged at Soujiro once again. Not as patient this time, Soujiro flew past him and landed with a soft thump on the dried leaves.
The opponent held his sword firmly, bent over on the desiccated grass. All he saw was the cherry blossoms, floating in the breeze, content to sail where the wind took them.
He looked at the bright red splotches of blood staining the grass around him. Eyes widening in a last moment of surprise and wonder, he fell lifelessly to the ground.
Soujiro raised himself gracefully off the grass, his sword dripping with a trail of blood.
Somewhere in the distance, a bird chirped happily. He gazed at the sun, almost disappearing, a deep red, just like his sword.
Raising his eyes heavenward, his thoughts drifted. The wind ruffled his hair, setting it back perfectly in place. He was bathed in the light of dusk, his blade glowing dully.
Red. Just like all the blood he'd ever spilt. Just like that; so fast, you'd miss it in the blink of an eye. Why then did he feel envy? Envy for the dead?
Because they were free. No hatred, no remorse, no fear, no pain. No feeling at all.
Eyes flickering with a brief flash of anger, he raised his sword and slashed it blindly through the air. A small bird, alive but a few seconds ago, lay dead on the forest floor, a small puddle of red forming underneath it.
He stood motionless, head bent, sword clutched loosely in his hand. Eyes shrouded by his hair, he smiled, "The strong shall live, and the weak…they shall perish…"
The sun had set, no longer able to ward off the impending shroud of darkness, inevitable, still somehow beautiful in its cruelty.
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A/N: Soujiro has always been my favourite character in Rurouni Kenshin, other than Kenshin of course. So I've pretty much wanted to write something about him for a long time, and there are far too few fics about him.
I hope you like this, reviews will be more than welcome.