The bandits fell one by one, their now mangled bodies spraying their killer with blood. The man ignored it, his eyes were closed as he neared the small boy whose hands were shaking so badly he had heard the soft metal-hitting-metal sound from across the field.
There was a soft cry, he heard a sword hit the ground along with two living bodies, and two more men died by his hand.
He pushed forward.
A woman's sharp cry of pain. Strangled sobs. A boy's gasp of shock. Ichi's lips twitched into a slight frown. A man's torso fell to the ground a foot away from his legs.
"Please, Shinta, live for me, you must-"
Ichi finally reached them.
The last three bandit's fell to his hand with a swiftness that was almost too quick to see. Not that Ichi cared. He was blind after all.
But blind or not, he could hear the boy panting from his crouch on the ground. He could feel the stillness that had suddenly descended upon them. But most of all, he could smell the blood, seeping slowly into the ground.
Ichi twitched his nose, then flicked his sword clean and sheathed it with a practiced hand.
Though he could not see, he was sure he could feel the child's stare.
"Hey boy. What's your name?"
There was no answer.
Ichi sniffed, and wiped at his face. Was that blood? Or sweat? It was hard to tell sometimes. He hadn't bothered to avoid the splatters this time, he had been too focused on saving the boy. Unfortunately, he seemed to be too late. The child was alive . . . but with all the bloodshed he must have seen, that didn't mean much.
He sighed, and tapped his walking stick onto the ground so he could avoid the bodies. Ichi took only a few steps forward though, and after a pause, turned and sat down beside the silent child.
They sat in silence for a long time.
When the boy shifted slightly, probably to look at him better, there was a small intake of breath, and then a soft, innocent voice reached his ears.
"Are you blind?"
Ichi raised an eyebrow. Of all the questions to ask.
"Yes."
The boy swallowed. "You're strong."
Ichi shrugged, and gave a noncommittal grunt.
"I wasn't strong enough . . . to protect them. Will you . . . teach me? To be strong?"
He let out a small huff of laughter. "You want a blind man to teach you to be strong? Go find a sword master. My sword isn't for protecting others."
"You protected me."
Ichi rubbed his chin. "Even if I saved your life, I didn't really protect you."
Oddly enough, the boy seemed to understand what Ichi was trying to say. He paused thoughtfully then said quietly, "Will you at least help me bury them?"
"Whether on the ground or beneath it, the worms will get them either way." Ichi paused, "But I can't leave a boy alone with all this." He stood. "Let's get started."
End~
A/N:
Exactly one year ago, I began writing a Ruroken/Zatoichi crossover. It was very different from this story, and included a post-kyoto arc kind-of reformed Soujiro meeting Zatoichi in a random town and teaming up to take down a gang of Yakuza.
Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted it while I was working on chapter three, and was so depressed by this I gave up.
Now, a year later, I was reminded of that story, and decided to try something else. I hope everyone likes this. If you want a sequel, I suggest you review.
Happy New Year!
-Lal