He studied the scene before him, cold earth covered in blood. His opponents had been raiding villages, raping the women and murdering the men. The children had been captured for servitude and God knows what else. The entirety of it made his skin crawl.
It wasn't that he took joy out of merely slaying men. No, it was the sense of gratification of removing evil from the world. True, he was committing a great sin by killing his fellow man, but it was a necessary evil. Slay a few so more may live.
The hitokiri turned his back on the battlefield, walking over to where the children were held captive. After freeing them, he would've taken his leave, if not for the hot tempered young boy who tried to challenge him.
"You're Hitokiri Battousai." The boy stated flatly. At first, all he could feel was fear. But anger and hatred were soon consuming him. His father had taught that a sword was a tool used for protecting, not a weapon for killing. Unfortunately, his father had just died because of his cause. He fought the bandits gallantly, but refused to kill a single one. And because of that, he lost his life. Yahiko hadn't been strong enough to aid his father, and now the Battousai had destroyed any change he had of vengeance.
"You shouldn't have gotten involved! I could've taken them easy if I had my sword!" Yahiko screamed at the older man. It was true he didn't stand a chance against the man-slayer, but his anger had clouded his judgment.
Battousai simply sighed. The boy was brave, he'd give him that. Or just ridiculously stupid. He could remember when he was that naive, to believe that he was invicible. He understood that he could die at any moment, if he ever let down his guard. He'd show the boy what he knew about this world.
"Prove yourself boy." Was all the Battousai said. He could see the hatred in the young boy's eyes, as if it was Battousai who killed his father.
The boy shouted a quick "You're on!" before running to get his kendo sword. It only took him a moment, and as soon as he returned to the hitokiri, he assumed his fighting stance. The Battousai shook his head in disapproval before tossing the second sword at his waist to the boy.
"A wooden sword would do nothing against me, as it would have done nothing against those bandits. Pick up the sword at your feet, and be prepared to kill me, if you wish to stand a chance at surviving this." The Battousai's voice was heavy. It was not often that someone would challenge his so blatantly, and he simply believed that the boy was old enough to understand war.
Yahiko plucked the sword from the ground. The first thing his noticed was its weight. It was much heavier than his kendo sword. The second thing he noticed was the novelty of the blade. It looked like it had never been used. But in the hands of the Hitokiri Battousai, it surely had been.
Yahiko shook his head. None of it mattered, not when all he had to do was defeat the man in front of him. Yahiko was a fine swordsman, although he only used the kendo sword. All of the practices still applied, so he believed. He once again took his fighting stance, then charged at Battousai.
Battousai easily dodged the attacks of the boy. The boy was nowhere near his level, but he could clearly see the potential the boy had. He hadn't made one attack against the boy, knowing the boy would tire himself out soon.
"Yahiko!" A woman screamed at the younger swordsman. Battousai looked in her direction, looking for the one who caused the disturbance. What he found nearly threw off his balance. He had never seen such a woman before. She was dressed in kendo clothing, wielding a wooden sword, but her beauty was unparalleled. Why would a woman such as her be wielding a sword?
The boy realized the Battousai's guard dropped, obviously not taking this duel seriously. He attacked again, his sword was just as slow, but this time his moves were silent. The Battousai's head turned sharply at the pain in his arm where the boy had just slashed. Blood ran down his skin and dripped from his fingers. No one was able to wound him, and live to tell about it.
The Battousai's eyes changed, going from annoyance to sheer danger. One look into his eyes and Yahiko immediately felt fear again. He knew he was about to die at the hands of Battousai. He dropped the sword, praying that his life be spared. He looked down at ground, not saying a word. He would accept his death graciously. The Battousai raised his blade, about to release his only attack against the boy when shock overtook him again. The woman had thrown herself in front of the boy, her eyes staring fearlessly into his, he arms outstretched to protect him.
"Please, don't kill him." The woman spoke softly, her eyes searched for any mercy Battousai would have on the boy.
"Kaoru! Stay out of this!" The boy yelled from behind her. Yahiko's anger flared again at his sister for putting herself in harms way. "No Yahiko. I will not watch you die." The woman stated factually. She never took her eyes off the man-slayer before her, not trusting that he wouldn't strike when her back was turned.
The Battousai's eyes slanted. He was Hitokiri Battousia, and she expected mercy from him? The most feared assassin in the country? "Stand aside, woman." He finally spoke.
The woman's eyes widened. She couldn't just stand by and watch this. What would it say if she, the oldest living Kamiya, allowed one of her family to die without a fight?
"Please!" Kaoru was pleading now. She had never begged for anything in her life, but she knew she didn't stand a chance against Battousai in a fight. She had one idea, her last resort. "Please, Battousai. Accept my life in lieu of his." She could hear her brother protesting behind her, and she raised her hand to silence him. There were tears in her eyes, but she wouldn't allow them to fall.
Batousai considered her offer. This woman intrigued him. Not many men would give up their lives so easily, but this woman would do it without a second thought. Finally, his mind had come to a decision. He sheathed his sword and turned his back to the woman.
"You will come with me, woman. Be prepared to leave in an hour."
bA/N/b: This was written at two in the morning...so...yeah. Let me know if you want me to continue with this story or not. Who knows, maybe I can write better when I'm not half asleep :3