Disclaimer:
Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki. I'm only ripping him off. I
fervently hope he doesn't sue me.
I
have no idea where this fits in the anime's continuity, and frankly, I don't
care. This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction (although I don't think
that's a valid excuse if I screw this up).
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A
Rurouni Kenshin (c) fanfic
by karl
The
Kamiya Dojo's closed doors stood before us, bathed in the pale light of the
moon. As I looked into Katsuhiro's face, I couldn't help but shiver.
"Are
you sure about this, Katsuhiro?", I asked.
"You
know I am. Are you?", Katsuhiro answered, his face a mask of
determination. The wind picked up, blowing some of his long black hair away
from his face and revealing the only scar he had on his body: his
left
ear was missing.
"Yes.
Yes I am," I said, trying hard to control the trembling of my voice.
"Then
let us begin."
With
those words, Katsuhiro drew his sword from its scabbard and shouted out his
challenge.
"Battousai!
Hittokiri Battousai! It's time to settle our score. Come out and fight
me!", shouted Katsuhiro.
Well,
this is it...,
I
slid my own sword from its scabbard. The familiar sound of metal against
leather brought a small sense of calm to my nerves.
The
doors of the dojo slid open, and there he was.
Battousai.
The slasher.
"Here
I am Katsuhiro. Let's get this over with," said Battousai.
I
stood transfixed, watching as Battousai approached Katsuhiro, his hand on the
hilt of his sword. As Battousai pulled it from its sheath, I saw that the rumors
I heard were true: his sword had a reversed edge.
Holding
his sword up high, Katsuhiro made the first move. His attack was so sudden that
Battousai was only barely able to dodge Katsuhiro's sword. Battousai then countered
with a slash to his enemy's midsection, which Katsuhiro deftly blocked.
The
wind picked up again, blowing through the trees and making an eerie sound.
"Hey!"
I
turned around, looking for the source of that voice. It was not hard to spot
the voice's owner. Dressed in white, the man was readily visible, even in the
dim light.
So,
this must be Sanosuke...,
"Good.
A challenge."
As I
saw that Sanosuke had no weapons, I slid my sword back into its scabbard and
placed it on the ground.
"We
do this hand to hand then," said Sanosuke.
"How
clever of you to notice," I said.
"Why
you!" shouted Sanosuke, his shoulder dropping as he started to run towards
me with blinding speed.
I
wasn't expecting that move, and that cost me a few ribs. Fortunately, I was
able to fall back and lessen the impact.
I
quickly countered with a kick to his face. That kick would have left a lesser
man out cold, but Sanosuke only shrugged it off and proceeded to pummel me with
his own blows. It was all I could do to parry and dodge them all and sneak in a
few blows of my own.
To my
right, Battousai and Katsuhiro were still locked in battle. They were moving so
fast that I couldn't tell who had the upper hand, although wherever they ended
up, a few drops of blood quickly became visible on the dry ground. But I
couldn't concentrate on their fight as I still had my hands full with my own.
I was
already starting to get tired, and I wasn't the only one. Sanosuke was drenched
in sweat, not all his, and his blows were coming at a lesser rate now. Seeing an
opening, I threw a punch at his stomach and quickly followed with another to
his head.
That
shook him up...,
Seeing
a chance to end it, I stepped in closer to deliver another blow.
My
mistake.
I had
underestimated him. A solid punch to my face sent me reeling backward and
crashing into the side of the dojo. Before I hit the ground, I saw Battousai standing
over a beaten Katsuhiro.
And
that was when I saw her, standing in the doorway. Her long black hair flying in
the wind, her eyes open wide as she looked at the fight.
Kaoru.
My beautiful Kaoru.
A
familiar gleam of light caught my eye. I had travelled long enough with
Katsuhiro to know most of his dirty tricks, and I had grown accustomed to the way
the light bounced off the small knives he hid on
his
belt.
"If
I can't kill you Battousai, then she will have to do!" shouted Katsuhiro,
drawing two knives from his belt.
Even
before he had said those words, I knew immediately what Katsuhiro was about to
do. Adrenaline flooded my system, and I fought back the urge to give in to
unconsciousness. Two knives were already in the air when I was able to stand
up, and I feared that I was already too late.
"Kaoru!"
shouted Battousai.
"Kenshin!"
she shouted.
Everything
slowed down and sharpened into focus. It seemed as though everything was
frozen, with me and the knives the only things in motion. The knives suddenly
looked very clear in the dim moonlight, and I could discern the way the leather
was bound in the handle, the way the blades were chipped and stained. It was as
if, given the time, I could count all the hairs on my outstretched hand. The knives
moved very slowly, but I felt like I was even slower.
Kaoru.... I will not desert you this time!
Then
time started again.
One
knife hit me in the shoulder, and I was able to deflect the other one with my
finger. I staggered forward. I tripped and fell, but Kaoru was able to catch me
before I hit the floor. There was no pain from the knife wounds, but I knew
they were there. And I knew that they were poisoned.
"Kaoru...,"
I managed to say through clenched teeth.
"Who...
why...?"
I so
wanted to tell her who I was and why I saved her, but I couldn't. The posion
was already working its way into my system. I reached out my hands and caressed
her right cheek longingly. I smiled and felt both happy, for finally seeing her
again, and sad, for dirtying her beautiful face.
As I
drifted off to the deep slumber that comes to us all, I could still hear her
sweet voice.
"He
gave up his life for me," she said to Battousai and Sanosuke. "He
saved me and he knew my name.
"He
knew my name... but I don't even know his."
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