Okay guys let us get to the necessary warnings and disclaimer:
I DO NOT OWN RUROUNI KENSHIN! None of the characters are mine (well except one) and believe if I did create the characters I would make sure their personalities did not die! I wish I did own the series…the changes I would make….Anywho on with the fic!
Note: The events that take place in this fic are supposed to occur just BEFORE the Saitou fight , this will explain certain character reactions that may not make sense otherwise and help out in future instalments….sorry to slow you down but this is pretty important!
The streets of Tokyo were bustling as usual, people crowding and pushing with no regard for anything except the time and how much of it they were wasting. In the middle of the crowd, with no hope of blending in, two men plodded along with an armful of odds and ends, the result of a morning's errands.
One of them was a tall, thin man with brown hair and sharp eyes, the sign of aku on his back proudly displaying both his former affiliation with the Sekihoutai and his identity as Sagara Sanosuke. He was speaking rather boisterously to his rather quiet companion,
a shorter man with the bright red hair and cross-shaped scar etched onto his left cheek. That scar marked him as the Hitokiri Battousai or more recently Himura Kenshin.
"Maybe someday I'll pay that tab…"Sano began, slowly stopping short upon noticing Kenshin's stare to the left, beside the Akabeko, "What is it?" Sano inquired tracing the rurouni's line of vision.
A figure stood in the shadows, watching the crowd intently. Amber eyes scanning the populace with a rapidity that seemed desperate. The individual's gender was impossible to discern due to a cloak of deep navy blue shrouding the form and fabric of the same hue wrapped loosely around the individual's head. A metal mask was fastened over the nose and mouth, making the eyes the only features visible.
Despite the mounds of cloth, Kenshin could see the hilt of a blade, and the slender gloved hands that clutched at it, ready to draw. Slowly the figure noticed their attention. The amber eyes shifted in their direction. Sano leaned backward slightly, the rurouni remained unmoved, at least physically.
"What's the deal with him?" Sano mumbled under his breath..
"It's the force of his swordsman's spirit; I've never felt an aura so strong before." Kenshin replied as another thought forced itself into his head. This presence is so familiar…
The sensation was so powerful. A rustle of fabric sped by leaving Kenshin startled. With the density of the crowd, the stranger had to brush against the rurouni in order to cross the street. Kenshin was hit with the scent of cherry blossoms, and fire…but there's something else, he thought. Blood.
The two men turned, a corpse now in front of their feet. Kenshin, with his finely tuned perception was able to see a navy coloured blur leap up to the rooftop of a hotel and melt into the summer sky. Kenshin had a temptation to pursue the stranger, but he ignored it.
The body was that of a government official. You could tell by the quality and western style of his suit and the multitude of rings on his swollen fingers, and badges on his coat. The man's throat had been cut in an upward thrust, almost decapitating him. It was a technique Kenshin had not seen in quite a while.
" Definitely not the work of an amateur." Sano interrupted Kenshin's thoughts. He was poking at the corpse with the tip of his shoe. Kenshin sighed; sometimes Sano's complete ignorance was astounding.
"Also not the work of a new assassin."
"Huh?" Sano projected a blank stare in the rurouni's direction.
" The cut has the mark of the hiten mitsurugi ryu style, and these specific techniques were those used in the street battles. It's obvious that a skill like this could only be mastered during the Bakumatsu."
" We're looking for a veteran of the Bakumatsu…" Kenshin's voice had taken on a darker tone, one which Sano had only experienced in battle, "…and the hiten mitsurugi ryu style."
Sano's jaw dropped, I thought Kenshin was the only guy who practiced that style.
"Okay, I'll bite. Your master maybe?"
Kenshin laughed.
"No, my master is a hermit who does not believe humanity. He answers only to himself."
"So this wasn't random?"
"Isn't it obvious? Who'd settle a grudge this way? Rebel groups only work in large numbers. They want chaos. This is either in official or private interests."
The sound of police whistles and the push of the crowd signalled a hasty retreat for Kenshin and Sano-neither wanting to be arrested for swords or brawling-but it was obvious that the incident laid heavy on their minds during their walk back to the dojo. The thought that there was anyone as strong or as deadly as Kenshin as had been as a hitokiri who could kick his ass, terrified Sano, and what was worse, this man hadn't seen any redemption and obviously had no regrets.
The thought turned over in Kenshin's mind. He knew this man, he was sure he had known them, but did not want to force painful memories out of their carefully repressed state. The apparition of the dark streets of Kyoto were hard to draw any information from. They were cold and ominous with a million blood stained bodies and silent faces. In this phantom avenue there were no civilians only these corpses. No thriving, only a consuming loneliness. No one stood out. No one said a word. Then there were the screams. They were ringing, circling around him, never letting him go, begging for mercy, recognition, life.
Kenshin shook his head and tried to clear his head and continued to walk along. They were at the back gate of the dojo. Kaoru could be heard from within sweeping up, along with the children giggling and the doctor chastising them. This was the life he led now; Kenshin could not go back and did not wish to. If it meant saying goodbye to any youth he might have had it was well worth it.
The rurouni looked back at Sano, his eyes gold-rimmed and glowing in a way that startled his friend, "Not a word about the marketplace."
Kenshin had trouble sleeping that night. The thoughts he had forced out him for the remainder of the day had decided to return with a vengeance. Visions of blood melded with moonlight, the screams of the innocent ricocheted off the walls of his room with a vehemence that drew them dreadfully close to reality. Those nightmares were something he did not need and Kenshin was thankful he had woken up when he did.
Deciding he needed some air to rid the cold sweat from his body, the rurouni slowly stood up and quietly headed to the porch. The last thing he wanted was to wake up Kaoru. As much as he was thankful for the food and lodgings, Kenshin did not understand her attraction to him. He was completely different from her and her illusions of what a man should be. Existing with her would be accepting that his life could no longer be genuine. He would lose half of what he was. As much as he hated to admit it the Battousai was an essential part of him.
A stranger was waiting in the yard, his back turned toward the porch. Kenshin immediately recognized him as the figure in the marketplace. The cloud-filtered, moonlight cast an eerie glow on the man, adding an incandescence to the man's covered face.
"So Battousai," said a sharp voice, "I suppose this is what you always wanted. A normal life, with a normal woman, and no blood on your hands. To kill yourself you'll have to kill me first."
It was painfully clear that this woman must've know him during his time as a hitokiri but no matter how much his reason tried to discover her purpose, he acam up empty handed. An anger was pooling in his stomach. Was she trying to imply that the murderous part of him which he hated was superior to how he was now? This judgement released some if not all of his carefully checked spite.
"You' re seeking revenge for the death of some murderer, SOME MONSTER!" Kenshin hadn't held so much rage in a long time. Who was this woman and what right did she have to make demands and accusations?
"You may think I'm being rash," she continued, completely ignoring his statement and cocking an eyebrow, "but I know who you really are and I made a vow long ago that I would never let that man die unavenged and now that I've met his murderer I plan on dispatching him."
Kenshin drew his sword but not fast enough. The woman had drawn her own blade in an instant, and with movements so fast that even the likes of Kenshin could not discern all of them; she was behind him with the blade pressed against his throat. Kenshin spun around and delivered a forceful hi t to her stomach. She stumbled backwards, giving Kenshin a moment to catch his breath. The glint of metal caught the rurouni's eye as a knife whistled past his throat. Blood started gushing from the wound and Kenshin dropped to his knees already feeling the life leaving him.
The stranger rose and glared down at the bleeding man, her eyes cold and amber.
"May flights of devils bring you to your grave."
She spit out the blood that resulted from the one hit Kenshin got in and proceeded to leave. The next thing Kenshin knew, another set of hands were lifting him from the ground. Megumi's face was barely visible through the rurouni's blurred vision.
"Stay still know Ken-san, the cut came close to your jugular. Just don't move."
"But…that…woman…" he stuttered barely able to form words, the world becoming black.
"Don't worry Ken-san, Sano took care of it."
As Kenshin was later told, apparently the altercation had caused enough noise that was necessary to draw out the occupants of the dojo. Megumi had been called for after Kaoru made the grisly discovery, and Yahiko had gone to find Sano. Sano was in the act of rushing in as the assassin was in the act of rushing out. The tall man had unceremoniously shoved his fist into the woman's abdomen. The critical injury allowed for a sufficient capture and holding in one of the dojo's many rooms of the assailant, Sano guarding the door.
Kenshin could not believe the story that issued from Megumi's throat, the cold light of day not making her words any less surreal.
"Why didn't you take her to the police?" he inquired.
"Yahiko tried to get them but couldn't find any. The station's closed."
"Tell me you treated her injuries at least…"
"I would speak to Sano about that one. He wants to do her in personally."
Kenshin felt a lump form in his throat and a shiver travel down his numb body. He felt an anxiety long forgotten. Megumi observed this change in demeanour and decided to test it.
"That assassin deserves it anyhow…the only good hitokiri is a dead one."
The man before her had been pushed to his limits both physically and psychologically, and Megumi's words were the last straw.
Before she knew what happened, a hand darted out and grabbed her shirt violently. The force was great enough to jerk her head back to the point of near pain. More frightening however was the countenance Megumi witnessed, glaring into her being. Two glowing yellow eyes flecked with some unearthly luminescence, stood in hard combination with a set scowling mouth and hard, sharp features. The doctor had never seen Kenshin like this. She shook with fear…this man…he could kill me…the thought squeezed into her psyche, and tugged at the calm that was her usual projection.
The woman's trembling made the rurouni resurface immediately. The eyes faded back to blue, the features softened, the hand let go.
"I'm sorry…" Kenshin said his face turned away in an attitude of contrite shame, "I'm losing my control…this woman has brought a dormant part of me to life again. That assassin has some connection to my past that just brings it out."
"The Battousai you mean."
Kenshin winced visibly at Megumi's words, memory providing what a physical pain usually does and then 10 fold more.
"Kaoru-dono told me of the Battousai. I thought she was babbling as usual but I see I was wrong."
"I don't want to discuss it…"Kenshin pleaded, " Where is she?"
"You have a problem…and as a doctor I must advise that you stay away from anything that aggravates your condition." Megumi said stubbornly, " You'll only worsen unless you deal with the issues you have instead of avoiding them like a child."
Megumi's hard words went unnoticed by the rurouni. He had put a hand over his eyes, and was lost in the archives of his mind. The voice had sounded familiar…but from where? Was it someone he had met recently? No, she referred to him as Battousai…but shecould notpossibly be from anywhere else…
"I've lost you already." Megumi's hard words cut through the air like a knife, bringing Kenshin back to reality. He looked up at the doctor who had a look of annoyance plastered on her face. She sighed and took a small jar of powder from the inside of her sleeve, placing it in Kenshin's hand.
"Maybe you can convince her to take this. She's in the 5th room to the left, down the hall."
Kenshin raised from his mat slowly a wave of weakness preventing his usual speed. As he reached the door, he stopped in his tracks feeling a gentle tug on his sleeve. He turned back and met the doctor's scrutinizing gaze.
"The Battousai will not be allowed to surface or else you come back here. I do not need any corpses staining this floor." Her voice was low and menacing, but had some sadness sprinkled in it as well, not enough to be obvious but her point was made.
Kenshin nodded hastily and without turning back again, slowly went out the door.
Meanwhile Sano sat outside the captive's room, chewing on his usual fishbone.
"Damn," he whispered under his breath. Sano wanted to go in that room and tear this woman limb from limb. After all, she had almost destroyed the man who "saved" him from a life of misery and pointlessness, but something held him back. It wasn't any vow or pity. Sano couldn't get the image out of his head…
The assailant was standing in the moonlight when he arrived, blade drawn with fresh blood dripping to the ground. Her eyes glowed in the night, lips making a hard emotionless line. But there was something else…glimmering tears were running down her cheeks.
Why was she crying? Sano thought, turning over the scene several times in his confused mind. Why would she care about someone she was sent to kill? Had she been sent at all?
Sano's musings were interrupted by the sound of uneven steps coming up the hall. The tall man leapt up and got into battle stance, ready for some government thug to attack. He was disappointed when he saw the familiar form. The slight man plodded slowly down the passage. He was a shade paler than normal, blood soaked bandages around his neck testifying to the reason for his lethargy. Sano relaxed into his usual "at ease" state.
Kenshin smiled weakly at his friend, "Megumi charged me with this medicine." His blue eyes drifted over the door.
Sano smirked, "Do you think I'm about to let you go mingle with a woman who slit your throat? You're too weak to even walk straight…"
"But as I understand it, she can't fight either therefore the situation is harmless, that it is." The man moved to the door, but Sano thrust an arm in front of him.
"I still can't let you in, Kenshin. You can't be in your right…" Sano halted mid-sentence. The rurouni had turned his gaze toward him, displaying pupiless, gold eyes complete with a deadly neutral expression.
The Battousai. Sano thought, still not removing his arm.
"Step aside." The Battousai's words were more of a growl than human speech.
Sano slowly gave up his attempts at preventing the inevitable. This man could overpower him easily if it came to that.
"WAIT!" Sano screamed. His protest was met by a door sliding shut a centimetre from his nose. "That bastard!" Sano kneeled and slammed a fist into the floor, outraged at his own futility. All he could do is sit outside and pay that nothing happens inside. It was obvious that Kenshin was slowly losing the battle inside of him and Sano was left waiting for the outcome. He saw that there was no point to any protests. He had absolutely no influence over the Battousai. He did not choose to go get the others, the last thing they wanted to see was this murderer, Sano would sit and protect, at least he would try to.
Soon audible voices emanated from the room's interior. Sano went back to gnawing on his fishbone…
All the signs of the Battousai had faded by the time Kenshin took his first step into the darkened room. His eyes widened at the sight that was before him.
A pool of blood spread across the floor, the crimson colour glistening in the small streaks of sunlight that made it into the darkness. The assassin was pinned against the floor; sturdy rope bindings were wrapped around her wrists, secured by knives dug into the ground.
The navy fabric hung askew on the woman's form, tattered at the abdomen exposing a gaping hole of flesh and bloodied wraps, Sano's strike having opened up Kenshin's blow. The life's liquid still trickling slowly from the wound. Her legs were clad with stained long white tabi and ended in watari clad feet, perfect for speed attacks. She wore a short kimono, the skirt extended to just above her knees, the colouring matching the ruined cloak. Her gloves were still intact as was the mask covering her face. The woman's hair however was now loose and waves of it descended well below her shoulders. It was a chestnut brown, with red highlights scattered through it almost cutting through her locks like small rivers of blood. Her head was bent down in unconsciousness, her face taking on softness Kenshin had not seen in their battle.
The rurouni kneeled and took her face in his hands. He lifted it enough to meet his own line of vision. No reaction issued from the still figure. Kenshin with one hand removed the mask and cast it into a corner of the room. The assassin's lips were soft and possessed a red that many women would envy. Her mouth was cruel and hard but hid what must have been a beautiful smile. Her hair brushed her cheek, razored edges clashing with the waves that composed the rest of her tresses. Kenshin noticed a scar stretching across the left side of her neck from the base of her jaw to her collarbone. That must have nearly killed her…
Amber eyes snapped open and a groan issued from the woman's throat. She shook off Kenshin's grasp, but then cried in the pain the movement caused. Her breathing was strained and turned to near panting and rasping. After a moment she regained her composure, facing downward she began to speak. Her breath was still laboured and short but her voice was calm and quiet.
"You still don't remember me do you Battousai? I had no idea a man could repress so much. I suppose I was lost with all those other horrible Bakumatsu memories, I'm glad I was that important to you…"
Kenshin had pushed his recollections to the back of his mind so often and so desperately that an induced amnesia had erased them almost completely.
Kenshin gently held the woman by the shoulders, "I'm sorry I can't remember you…so tell me…
who are you?" He made this as much of a demand as he could, but the woman remained silent for several seconds. Finally, she gazed directly up at him.
Kenshin's heart beat sporadically, his breath quickened. The room swirled around into a vortex of space, fading slowly. All Kenshin could see was this woman's face, with amber eyes staring sadly at him, tears leaving tracks down her hardened face. He knew….
"Youkiya….Akeiko." Kenshin gasped sweat travelling down his brow. His eyes felt like they were bulging from their sockets. He could not see reality only the memories as they left their prison and washed over him in a wave, blocking out everything around him…
These were the streets of Kyoto, glimmering in a fresh rain and reflected moonlight. A boy stood in the shadows, blade deep in the throat of a man, concentrating on the kill. Another figure stood behind him watching his back, slaughtering the remaining men. Her hair was done in a high ponytail, her clothes the regular Ishin Shishi uniform of dull colours with her long skirt flaring in the breeze of a hot summer night. She turned to the him, blood spattered on both their faces,
"That's a night's work." She sheathed her blade, he did the same.
"We've lived through another day of hell…Katsura will be impressed." He replied, blue eyes gazing into his companion's brown ones.
The girl laughed. Her young teenage form contrasted with middle-aged corpses but complimented the youth of her associate.
"You know he thinks we're invincible. That is why we're the ones who get the dirtiest jobs. I miss the simple one-on-one contests."
"Like the one we had."
"Stop berating yourself. You had no clue who I was." She replied.
The young man thought about that day months ago when this girl had first joined his faction. He had seen her in the street, a corpse at her feet, and thought her to be an enemy. They had fought without mercy, only stopped by Katsura himself who had heard of the commotion. Both had been badly injured and no clear winner was produced. Back then the hitokiri had scoffed at Katsura's tales of a female warrior with a mastery of hiten mitsurugi ryu and a speed that was a close rival to his own. He now stood in awe of this woman, fiddling with the sword on her hip. She was the only female operative in Kyoto; the Shinsengumi had lost more than one of their men to false assumptions. Of course by this time she had reached legendary status like him, and there was no more confused gazes only recognition and fear.
As they walked home, the hitokiri followed beside her closely. Slowly his hand clutched for hers, their slender fingers intertwining. They stopped in the street. She turned to face her companion, the wind brushing her hair across her eyes.
"Will you promise me something?" she said.
"What?" The youth returned slight surprise in his voice.
"That after this is over you'll still be here with me."
"Of course," he returned squeezing her hand tighter in his own, "but we have to help each other live normally…peace time will be hard to get used to, and I don't think I could do it without you."
"Peaceful hitokiri…"the girl smirked, "what an oxy moron. The blade is what we'll live by…"
"And die by…"the boy finished. The pair then continued on their way, their apparitions fading into memory.
Next came Katsura, he was mouthing inaudible words and pushing the boy away with another; a different woman with black hair and darker eyes. She clung to him and he could only turn back and stare at the girl, who held his hand to the last, as he was pushed away from her. His fingers slid out of her grasp. The fires of the dying city lit her visage and the cries of falling comrades drowned out her voice, "Be happy" she whispered into the chaos. The boy was pushed along; he could look into their past no longer.
Death and fire marked the boy as he made his return, one fresh scar marring his cheek. He stood on the wet cobblestones as he did in the past. A yell caught his attention. He pivoted and a few feet away a wolf grinned triumphantly, his companions joining his expression. The boy's heart stopped, his breath ceased. He watched as the blade sliced down the girl's neck. She slumped to the ground in a spray of blood, the liquid landing on his face. A gurgling issued from her torn throat, her life fluid running out from her motionless form and into the gutter below the boy's feet. He stared at the body on the stones, the fire making it dance in shadow, the wind combing blood stained hair. The boy screamed inwardly and lunged at the tall, sinewy wolf. They fought in a whirlwind punctuated with clanging metal and the shouts of witnesses…the black invaded there was nothing else…
The room returned. Kenshin was back in the pseudo-reality he was used to. He expected the ceiling of his bedroom to reappear and the woman to be gone from him, but he still held her.
He struggled for words but they would not come, there was nothing that could express what he felt. Nothing could describe the ecstasy of relief that was flooding him. He stood and pulled frantically at the knives and rope. He finally managed to loosen them after a desperate few minutes. Kenshin slowly lifted the woman off the floor. He held her tightly to his chest. She opened her mouth to say something but was blocked by Kenshin's mouth pressed upon her own. His tongue running along her lips, he seemed to want to devour her, but gradually let up. His deep blue eyes once again meeting their familiar brown counterpart, like in years gone by...
"I see you've woken up." She said smiling slightly.
"I saw you die Akeiko…"Kenshin's voice was choked with long dormant emotion.
"That's where this came from." She pointed to the scar, marring her porcelain skin. "I'm not sure how I managed to crawl down that street but I did. Katsura was more surprised that I 'd gotten injured than anything else."
"Why didn't you come find me?"
"Katsura told me the Shinsengumi had got to you and carted the body off as a trophy. He was probably trying to spare my feelings. After all he knew that you'd moved on."
"What?"
Akeiko averted her eyes, "You went with her without protest. You had a new life and even though it ended badly, I know I can't live up to it. You love her and her sacrifice. Our past together doesn't matter anymore. She's who you belong with. Her or that girl here can give you what I never could. I'm sorry I broke our promise; I understand that I can't make you happy. You should forget that I ever lived."
Kenshin spun her around. She could see the gold in his eyes now gleaming at the edges of the blue, " Do you know what it's like to watch as all that you have, all that you care about, is killed before you? When I lost you, I couldn't handle it. I had to leave. I had to lock away everything about you so I wouldn't go completely insane! I had to forget. And now that I have you back, all you can say is 'sorry'? I know I never said this when I had the chance but Akeiko…" Kenshin gently pressed her as close to him as possible, his chin resting on her head. "I love you."
He bent his face low to capture another kiss, her lips trembling as his tongue ran along them and forced its way into her mouth, a deep warm cavern. Kenshin felt her hands press against his chest trying to pry him off her. He complied and was met with one of the coldest looks he had ever experienced.
"YOU AREN'T THE SAME MAN!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, "The rurouni killed the man I knew. You're nothing but a shell of what you used to be. I heard that you were still alive
from the police chief, he took pity on me and told me your whereabouts along with the fact you had spent ten years wandering. While you were trying to find yourself, I was doing assassinations for the government. I still thought that you could've remained unchanged by time but I suppose I was mistaken. I found a man who regretted the way of the blade, who cursed the mark he had made on history. You were ashamed to have been the Hitokiri Battousai, and here I was still the Hitokiri Youkiya, the 'demoness' of the Ishin Shishi, the Shinsengumi's nightmare. I regret nothing. The trembling man who shakes at the very thought of his own past is not the Himura I know, the Himura who would dive into 20 soldiers without a thought as to consequence. I determined that as you are you did not deserve to live. If you really had so much regret, death would be a gift for you."
Akeiko put a shaky hand on Kenshin's scar. "I was there when you got the first cut…too bad I was incapable of giving you the other one."
"I'm not another person…"Kenshin began his voice in the softest tone he could muster, "I may have issues to sort out but you have to remember other than you, there is no one to help me. No one was there, no one understands." He clasped both of her hands, "I need you to find the balance between the warring sides of me. You know exactly who I am, you can see through the rurouni. You stood by me in battle, and I want you to stand by me now. The blood we wade in is emotional but I know that we can still be together. All I want is to fulfill that promise I made 10 years ago."
"I can't impose on these people…they hate me for trying to kill you. And I can't take you away from your life in Tokyo. Besides that girl…"
Kenshin placed a finger on her lips in order to still the words, "She means nothing to me…despite what she may believe. I'll explain it to the others, they'll understand eventually. Just stay, I can't let you slip through my fingers again"
Kenshin pulled the forgotten medicine from his sleeve and helped her swallow it. He could see that his grasp was painful to her and loosened his hold slightly. He sat against the wall with her leaning on him, his arms around her waist. Her body was still thin and athletic. Kenshin kissed her lightly on the forehead before leaning back resting against the wall His head throbbed and his muscles ached from blood loss and the strain of heated conversation.
He watched Akeiko's breast, rising and falling with her breathing, as she slid back into unconsciousness, the room around him starting to blacken. "I'll never let you go." He whispered to himself as his eyes shut. He felt an emotion unfamiliar to him…was it content? Happiness maybe? Kenshin could form coherent thoughts no longer, his consciousness slipping away. A phrase reverberated through his head from the last time he was in the grips of this feeling…
Will you promise me something?
To Be Continued….
Author's Notes: I plan to do at least one sequel so LOOK FOR IT SOON! I need some reviews first! I need to know if I have the right idea or if my writing sucks completely! I created the OC because I hate all the Kenshin pairings and my friend's like "what WOULD you like then?" Yes, I hate Kaoru, I hate Tomoe and her mindfucking nature….cry about it! Moreover, sorry for the lack of graphicness….they're both injured! I'll step it up in the next few installments or something I promise! I also apologize for my crappy summary and title….thanks for giving me a chance!
HitokiriHitensai