A/N: Not a big portion of reviews but thank you for those who looked at it!

Battleground

It was dark walking through those hallways. A few lights were ever couple of hundred feet. Kenshin carried his body with the grace of a woman without making it seem like he was an easy target. Just begin a woman was the one thing that made people think that he wasn't a candidate for a fight.

Kenshin ducked in a small crevice and out of his sleeve pulled a few sheets of paper to shove down his shirt. You weren't a woman without those now were you. He could hardly breathe. His anxiety for this night especially was giving him butterflies. There was a new contender in his ring; a contender that worked his way up quicker than anyone else. That gave Kenshin the impression that he was going to get a good fight for once.

Continuing further into the dim lit hallway, Kenshin rubbed shoulders with monsters of men that were at his side. When someone appeared on the right side, he looked to see why their pace was equal with his.

"Is it who I think it is?" Kenshin whispered. His hand threw down the hood of his follower's cloak. Honjo Kamatari was following him.

"Well, you were able to make it after all."

"You fake a stomach ache and sneak out the window."

"You use the same tricks."

"Not in the same week."

Kamatari gave his girlish laugh. Honjo Kamatari was doing what Kenshin did, only he was really a transvestite. But then, he wasn't afraid to show that he was actually a man to people. He just wanted them to be able to figure out first.

"I'd be a wise fool to do something like that."

Kamatari was silent while they went through the D hall. The D hall was the hall of the contenders who were in the D ring. In the battle arena, there were four stages. A, B, C and D. When you entered, even if you were world renowned, you started in the D ring. Some can just move up quicker than other. Then there were those who were incapable of moving.

"I don't understand why you would like this."

"Try sitting on your butt all day listening to people talk like they're better than everyone else," Kenshin shrugged. "You would find yourself up late doing crazy things too."

"You know you're fighting someone who was able to get through the other three rings pretty quickly," Kamatari told him ominously.

"Why is that suppose to affect me?"

"I don't know. I jus thought that maybe you would appreciate knowing."

"I will hold my title."

"Hold your wine too," he stated when they opened the door to the A ring.

The A ring had a lot of things that made it one of the best rings. You could hear the crowd cheering before you went through the doors. You could smell the sweat as the doors open. There were rows high on the walls as people crowded into one another. Kenshin ducked his head and hid behind Kamatari while walking to the fighter's den. But all the onlookers were able to make out the fighter that they had glorified. Empress H was the reigning for close to a year now. What made "her" so appealing was not only the fire that she brought to the beautiful sport being that she looked like a moving work of art, but the humanity aspect of it as well. Every one of the contenders that she had faced would probably have to see a doctor, but would always leave with their lives.

"I smell blood," Kamatari stated when the den doors shut. Kenshin looked to the other men in the room. None of these would be his contender because they would be on the opposing door. Kenshin sat on his knees with the tip of his hilt pressing into his palm. The purple orbs would never look directly into another's eyes. You would not fear your enemies if you never looked into their eyes.

"Do you now?" Kenshin asked with Kamatari at his side.

"It's faint, but I think the floor is still inlaid from last week."

Kenshin bowed his head gently to his competitors, but his mind was on the matters of state more than anything else. What he realized about those who had taken him from his home was when they put leisure in front of their job, the country would fall. That was the last thing that Kenshin needed, especially in the time of prosperity. When Kamatari nudged his arm, Kenshin opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Can you go through with this?" asked Kamatari.

"I have no reason not to be able to," the ruler stated. "I am ready for this."

Kenshin rose to his feet walking with the grace that was demanded from the shoes he stood on. The door opens for him to the blinding lights and dirty banners of the arena. As the champion, Kenshin was always the first to take the stage. The crowd watched with baited breath. Next to the stairs, Kenshin slipped off the shoes and went up where the blood, unclean from the cracks of the floor, was still lingering to wet his socks. Once in his place, the door opposite where he stood opened to the opponent of the night.

The man, Kenshin would have to admit, looked fit to be the kind of character that you would see in a place like this. A smile slithered on his face. He was young, but already a veteran of a good fight. He was tall and thin. His eyes roared of determination. The clothes he wore were white with just the slightest trace of pink on the ends. In his hands was a weapon Kenshin had only seen twice before. A large sword that typically a man could not carry by himself; this man was doing so with ease.

Kenshin bowed at the head in respect, his contender willing to do the same. When they looked each other in the eyes, all they saw was the sparks of destiny hit the floor.

There was a bell to which Kenshin found himself in a quick stance. The opponent, Zanza as the announcer had said, charged wildly with his sword in hand. Kenshin just waited with his feet hardly spread. With a battle cry, Zanza swept his sword downward using Kenshin's size as a weak point. But with size, there came speed. A swift turn of the toes and the sword landed within inches of his body.

"Fast aren'tcha girlie?" Zanza asked as he pulled the sword out of their arena. Kenshin didn't allow himself to talk back to his opponents. Really, the only person he would speak to would have been Kamatari. He was afraid that maybe he would slip up and forget then someone would find him out. When he didn't make a move, or was yet to even pull his sword from the sheath, his opponent was getting a little more than irritable.

"Aren't you going to fight?" Zanza asked. The large metal piece started to swing sideways at Kenshin's torso. The ruler launched himself up into the air. It was an interesting looking at Zanza from above. His feet were perfectly separated when he landed and his body was poised toward Zanza.

"Oh, I think I get it. You won't draw you're sword 'cause you're afraid of me aren't you?" Zanza smirked. "Well, if you want to just give up then go ahead, I really don't want to spill any blood."

Kenshin shook his head. 'I guess I give you the wrong impression, don't I?'

"Fight!"

Zanza's feet started moving, but he left his sword behind him. Kenshin ducked when the fist went toward his face, as soon as he did, Zanza went toward his ankles taking his feet out from under him. "Are you going to fight now?"

Kenshin had his elbows on the ground. The light was right above Zanza where his face was perfectly masked, but perfectly shown at the same time. Kenshin closed his eyes and rolled back to get onto his feet.

"C'mon, draw that sword before you get yourself killed."

Kenshin's thumb once again pushed o the tsuba while looking at his opponents fully guarded position. The zanbato was back in his hands, becoming more menacing as time went on. They were in a deadlock of staring; something that Kenshin was never all that fond of. Zanza's right foot went forward, and Kenshin's did as well.

"Figures," Zanza stated, Kenshin's eyebrows furrowed. "Leave it to a woman to make you wait!" he picked up the speed, the zanbato moving so fast that Kenshin found his hand throwing out the sakabato that stopped Zanza in his tracks. There was a lot of tension where the two were holding firm in place. Kenshin's knees shook where Zanza had strength and size on him. But, one small sword could stop even the largest in its tracks.

"That's better. That's what I was looking for."

Zanza shuffled back a few feet, his grip tightening on the zanbato; Kenshin noticed how much more serious this man was getting compared to a few minutes ago. Like he, there was sincerity in Zanza. He didn't want to attack Kenshin in attempt to hurt him until he was sure that Kenshin was ready and armed. The ruler held his sword hilt just a bit tighter as well; his mind was set on thinking about all the possible moves that Zanza could make. There weren't many while using a sword of that size. With its power came its weakness. There were only two ways that he was able to throw it.

"Am I gonna have to force you to fight!" Zanza yelled out. "This is an arena; you fight!"

Kenshin bit back his tongue and closed his eyes.

"There is only so much that I will fight for Mr. Zanza," Kenshin nearly whispered while trying to make the most feminine voice he was capable of. "You have yet to give me a reason."

"You should fear for your life! Is your brain in those small tits of yours or what?"

It didn't affect the ruler as it could have. But he was aware that any woman would let that be their only reason to fight someone.

"You want a fight Mr. Zanza?!" Kenshin bent at the knees with his hand over the hilt of his sword. "I'll give you a fight that you will never forget, that I will."

Zanza, with the widest smirk on his face, used his zanbato to block and prepared for a hit he was sure would knock him into tomorrow. Swallowing saliva enough to choke him, Zanza put on a game face while Kenshin started to speed toward him. There was the initial shock that launched him back; the cracking of metal was more sickening than that of cracking bone. It was shrill. When Zanza was looking toward the ceiling, his zanbato was still tight in his hand, and still intact albeit with a large crack in the middle of it. He rose, his back aching and stomach nauseated. Something told him that Kenshin was going to give him the opportunity to rise.

"For such a little bitch, you pack the big punch don'tcha?"

Kenshin didn't respond, only waited while Zanza, on his shaky knees, rose to full position and had his weapon in hand. The grip was tight, and when his force was back he ran as quickly as he was able to. But, unlike Kenshin was ready for, Zanza did not attack with the sword rather, with his fist. It barely missed his cheek, but with the scarf blown up a deep cut appeared almost out of nowhere. Kenshin jumped back clutching the side of his face.

"Not so mighty when seeing your blood are you?"

"My blood is nothing," Kenshin hissed while wiping it on his dress. "My blood is my blood that I didn't expect would not be spilled."

"You think you can fuck with my head?"Zanza said while drilling the tips of his fingers into his breast. "You think that you're the one who's gonna fuck with my head?" There was laughter, but not for long before the man started to attack again. He was faster; he swung harder to which Kenshin had to block as quickly as he could while trying to find another place that he was capable to attacking. His eyes widened while his heel dug into the side of Zanza's ankle. The column didn't falter; he only swung another punch which barely missed the same cheek still bleeding onto Kenshin's dress. A second slash went across it, making a cross like Zanza had marked his territory. Blood dirtied the white floor as Kenshin stepped back. He put his wrist onto the cuts that were profusely bleeding, not even daring to surrender while the blood had touched Kenshin's lips. It was a taste that he didn't like. But, while in this stunned position, Zanza was no longer treating Kenshin as the woman that he was pretending to be, but the man that he actually was.

"Are you hurting yet princess?" Zanza asked while swiping the sword sideways. Kenshin launched himself upward and he landed on the zanbato with his feet equally weighted. He ran closer to Zanza's head while he tried to shake the ruler off. Through all the shaking, the scarf was starting to come loose and even Zanza realized it. The metal pins in Kenshin's hair fell out and the red locks pooled around his shoulders. Kenshin flipped backward, holding the scarf in place before it fell off. The blood was making it heavy and hard for him to keep on even as tight as he tied it. "I've already hurt your face. You don't need to hide it anymore."

Kenshin, with his sword gripped tight in his hands, went into a charge toward Zanza, the man move enough that that first swing missed entirely, but Kenshin made sure that the dull side of his sword slammed into Zanza's back when he threw a second swing backwards. The fabric cut, and there was a deep indentation in Zanza's back. But what really caught Kenshin's eye was the symbol of 'aku' printed on the back of the shirt.

Despite Kenshin's instinct to walk away, there was a spike of power that made him look a second time to Zanza still trying to rise. His legs nearly hung limp, still he pulled himself o turn toward Kenshin and eye him with fervor.

"We're not done yet," his voice lost many decibels, his hands let go of the zanbato which allowed him to get onto him feet. He stumbled for a moment; "I'm still standing. The fight isn't over."

"The fight will never be over Mr. Zanza," Kenshin closed his eyes and turned. "Whenever you want, come forward."

Zanza had his fists so tight that the knuckles were turning white and blood dripped from his palms. Kenshin danced around the arena while a bombardment of fists ripped at his clothes shedding a little more blood. On one turn, he found he tipped himself over, his ankle in an uncomfortable position. The ruler crashed against the floor with Zanza in his face.

"I'll say that this fight was worth a lot to me," Zanza's hand reached toward Kenshin face in an attempt to unmask the mistress of the battle arena. Kenshin's fingers twitched on the cold floor where there was a warm wipe of blood underneath his palm. As Zanza nearly had the mask undone, Kenshin more than welcome, curled his hand into a ball and hit Zanza as hard as he could on the left cheek. The column fell backwards while Kenshin ducked his head down and veiled his face by the long strands of hair. His face was full of sweat, blood continued to splatter on the floor. He tied the blood drenched scarf back on while nearly suffocating himself. With a glance back up he noticed that Zanza was lying on the floor unmoved.

"You're a piece of work ya little shit." Zanza commented. Kenshin brought himself to his feet and walked over to this man.

"You fight hard," Kenshin said low. "But I will have to say it is your time to lie and rest."

"Figures," there was something between a laugh and a cough in Zanza's voice. "What is it with you women and liking to care for everybody?"

Kenshin could do nothing more than smile. "Because sometimes all you can do is care for the people. Else, they will destroy themselves."

Kenshin rose and walked off the arena with a roar of applause before him. The man only disregarded them.

The sun was going to be quick to rise while the ruler limped home. His ankle was in less than good condition. His body was aching of rest. The only things that he was considering were what he would tell someone who saw his injuries. Then the brightest of ideas hit him while climbing back up the walls of the palace and into his bedroom. It was silent, as he called it to be. He threw off the clothes and put them back in their hidden place. The final piece was to throw one of the heavy paperweights on his desk out the window to crash most of it. There erupted a clatter of footsteps into Kenshin's bedroom where he lie in bed, seemingly in pain.

"Your Majesty!" Sojiro yelled helping him out of the folds of covers he'd trapped himself under. "Please answer me Your Grace."

"I-I'm bleeding," Kenshin let out with an acting that as the same as earlier.

"Did you see who it was?" Kenshin shook his head. "Did you know what they wanted?"Again, the ruler shook his head. "Get a doctor, now!" Sojiro called. Amidst all the commotion, Kenshin managed to smile.

A/N: Took me a while, but I got something! Hope you liked it! KenSan out!