The Ever Present Disclaimer: The characters and story of Rurouni Kenshin belong to, first and foremost, Nobuhiro Watsuki and also to Shuiesha, Shonen Jump and Sony. This story in particular, however, was written by me.
Nothing to Lose
The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it.
-Karl Marx
Chapter One
The gravel of the driveway crunched beneath the black car's tires as it slowed and then came to a stop, its headlights switching off and subsequently dousing the area in darkness. By way of the rear view mirror, the eyes of its driver and sole passenger indirectly met. The connection lasted only a moment before the passenger's amber eyes self consciously wandered to instead view the gloomy scenery outside the tinted window he sat beside.
"Are you ready?" came the driver's friendly voice through the darkness. It was obvious he asked the question out of politeness instead of necessity. He already knew what the answer would be.
"Of course," the passenger responded, his tenor voice apathetic as per usual. An uncomfortable silence took hold of the car as he busied himself with zipping up his black wind breaker and pulling a dark wool toque over his gaudy hair.
"Good," the driver finally chirruped, a bit unnerved by the solitary, almost unfriendly nature of his companion. Should be used to it by now, he mused, scratching at the stubble on his chin with one hand, you've worked with him enough, that's for sure. That silence of his is still creepy, though. Makes me feel like he's gonna explode at any minute. He shook his head, inwardly reprimanding himself for his wandering thoughts. There's no time for this shit now, Iisuka. Get back to business. Aloud, he spoke gravely: "The driveway turns a few corners here through the trees, but if you just follow the gravel under your feet, it'll be fine. The gate to the estate is about five minutes walk up the hill from here. There are cameras--"
His passenger opened the door abruptly, interrupting Iisuka's briefing. "I won't be seen," he assured with flat confidence.
"Glad to hear it," Iisuka stated, though there was still a nervous edge to his voice. "Oh, and, Himura?"
The younger man, out of the car by now, stopped in his tracks. "Yes?" he prompted.
"Yes," Himura replied in utter certainty. There was no pride in the word, just an objective statement of the facts."Maybe you should take a gun," Iisuka suggested a bit nervously.
"No."
The back door to the car slammed shut. Iisuka turned the key to the ignition before putting the vehicle into reverse and easing out of the driveway without the guidance of headlights. Himura's slight form vanished into darkness almost immediately and Iisuka raised a hand in goodbye, uttering a brief "good luck" as he pulled back out onto the highway and switched his lights on once again. He'd return for the boy in a half an hour. If he didn't return within fifteen minutes of that point, it would be safe to assume he was dead. Iisuka wasn't betting on that outcome, however.