Chapter Six: Remembrance
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, much less the characters... If I did, this story arc woulda been included..
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Kenshin finally understood. He remembered her vividly now, the little girl that the General had spoke of that day.
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Takasugi Shinsaku had gone off on another one of his checkups in Tokyo to see how that portion of his army was holding up. Kenshin leaned against the far wall of the General's elaborate office, ornately carved with cherry woods and framed with expensive metals crafted for beauty. Sighing, he checked the clock on the desk once again. Takasugi was late. The General suddenly breezed into the room, not glancing up to see if Kenshin was even in the room as he sat at the mahongany desk littered with papers and began to shuffle them about.
"Where have you been?" Kenshin finally asked. The General glanced up with a raised brow, organized a few more papers, then looked up with a small smile peeking through his fingers.
"I believe we've found you a suitable partner, Himura-san." Takasugi answered at last. Kenshin stiffened, readying his protest, but was halted by the General's raised hand. "We were luck enough to apprehend an attack on a local whore-house in Tokyo where the owner and his miscreants were harboring underaged children. Unfortuneately, the owner was..." Takasugi paused. "Brutally.. murdered before we could ask him his killer's name."
Kenshin raised a brow beneath his firey red bangs.
"If my partner is a woman, then-"
"A girl, ten years of age, and just about as ruthless and powerful as you were at your youngest." The General injected. The red haired Battoussai sitting aways away from Takasugi allowed the hint of a smirk to appear on his face as he rose slowly from his seat along the wall.
"General, with all due respect, I'm an assasin, not a babysitter." He said, his blue eyes chilling the air as he turned and left Takasugi shaking his head.
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Two Years Later
Kenshin moved stealthily along the mansion's massive stone walls. His target: The daughter of a well respected fuedal lord, eighteen years of age with pale skin, green eyes, and dark hair. He'd been stationed there over two weeks ago for an assesment of the mansion and plan the fast routes out. Now was the time to make the final move. The goal? A warning to the contesting army, and a scare tactic concering other fuedal lords that may be against his cause.
A soft, cool breeze tickled the hair along the back of the Battousai's neck. He slunk into the shadows, passing unwary guards with his hand on the hilt of his katana. The garden's trees waved a bit in the wind, as if to point out the unseen intruder. Even the flowers used the breeze to hiss their accusations. He paused in the shadows as a guard passed by. The Guard hesistated, squinting towards the shadows. He could see the man shiver, then mutter something like, "hate this place", and walk on. The Battoussai continued toward the sliding paper door, slipping past it. Unfortunately he was greeted rather unpleasantly by another guard. He muttered an apology, blood spattering on the floor as he grabbed the body and gently lowered it lest it make a loud thump. Another door was just ahead of him which he slid through and closed behind him, leaving bloodied handprints.
This room contained a large feather filled futon with the sleeping girl under the crisp silk sheets. She seemed to be clutching a pillow, but upon further inspection, Kenshin realized it was a young man with blonde hair tucked between her arms. It stunned him for a moment, but he quickly shrugged off all emotion and thought.
"For the good of Japan, forgive me." he whispered, raising the katana for a killing stroke. Just then, the woman's green eyes fluttered open, blinking once at him. Horror filled her eyes at the sight of him. Her mouth fell open, but rather than scream, a much sweeter pleading passed through her lips.
"Don't kill him." She whispered, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks as she pulled him to her tighter and tucked his head beneath her chin. No emotion flashed on his face. But he hesitated, the blade pausing.
"I honor your last request." came a small femine voice.
Just then, a flash of black passed infront of him, yanking the katana out of his hand like a magnet. A gurggling sound filled his ears. The pillow supporting the girl's head was beginning to darken with blood. A kunai knife had been shoved into her throat and pinned her to the bed. Lips moving in silent thanks to her murderer for sparing her lover, her eyes lost focus and the desperate struggle for her to breath stopped. In front of the young woman was a girl, twelve at most, crouching low and studying her work. The girl's hand crawled just over the young woman's throat, retrieving the kunai from her throat. She rose slowly, turning to face Kenshin. He squinted in the moonlight, studying the creature that had managed to catch his mark before him. Dark wispy hair dully hung in her eyes. She wore a one-piece garment, tying back around the neck to leave the arms bare and stopping at her lower thighs like a pair of shorts. She looked almost stringy, not quite a teenager. Lean muscle rippled from beneath the skin as she gripped the knife defensively.
"Come with me, Battousai." came a hiss. The girl seemed to glide toward the door noiselessly, leading him on. Moments later, she had managed to out manuever every guard and safely get them outside the palace. The town's dirt streets bit into the girl's shoeless feet. She stopped, turning to face him again.
"You hesitated." the little girl stated from beneath a mop of hair, still not looking up. Kenshin didn't answer, brows furrowing. She looked up, revealing a hint of her eyes. Black power seeped from them, leaking out of both corners like black tears.
"Next time you hesitate and force me to pay for your fumbling, I'll rid Takasuki of you're pathetic exhistence myself." The little girl sneered. She whipped around only to be grabbed by Kenshin.
"What's your name, girl?" He asked, trying to prevent his lip from curling. A laugh poured from the girl's lips. A laugh that wasn't her own, sending chills of dread down his spine.
"To you? Gekimetsu Hitokiri." the creature paused, then added with another hiss, "Ironically enough though, her name is Kan. Kan Sukida." With that, she turned and managed to leap onto the nearest rooftop, skimming it's surface as she ran along toward the next one and dissappearing into the night.
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When Kenshin returned from the mission, his destination was set for General Takasugi's office. The red-headed juggernaut rammed the others listening in on the conversation, storming through the door with his hand on the hilt of his katana. To his surprise, standing before the General was Kan herself in a pink dress. Her dark hair had been combed neatly, bangs teasing the side of her face. She blinked at his abrupt entry, looking a bit intimidated even as Kenshin's nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed.
"You!" he frowned. The girl looked around her, realizing it was her he was attempting to speak to. "The Gekimetsu Hitokiri!"
The General opened his mouth to speak when the girl's hand rose. She gave Takasugi a sad smile, who eventually nodded. She turned back to Kenshin with darkened brown eyes, streaks of carmel in them. Nothing like that night.
"Forgive him, he is protective of his vessel." She said softly. When she recieved an unchanged glare, she sighed. "I'm the vessel for Gekimetsu Hitokiri. When I was younger, my guardian saved me from the brothel I had been trapped in. I promised him a permanent vessel in return for his protection."
Kenshin raised a brow, disbelief written all over his face. The little girl looked frustrated, then slapped her hands together. A series of complicated hand-signs followed and energy began to well out of her.
The spirit was taking over.
The girl's body shook as it possessed her taking control from head to toe. The General had scooted back a ways, keeping a hand on his sword. Kenshin backed away as well, out of caution. The girl's neat hair was tousled and the energy that had suddenly poured out began to stabilize around her. Her face lifted, and her eyes once again glowed, black streams of energy streaming from the corners. The girl's mouth opened and let forth a rather dark laugh, too deep to be the girl's slender voice.
"Don't you trust me General?" Her darker voice commented, eyeing him from over her shoulder. The man's face stayed stoic. The girl's black eyes rested on Kenshin.
"And you... If you have a bone to pick with Sukida, you'll go through me first. Although if you were, you would end up killing her in the process." The spirit chuckled darkly. The spirit must have felt Kenshin shiver, because it let loose another deep, bellowing laugh.
"Now now, comrade!" it spat. "Don't fear little old me."
The spirit convulsed and made a face.
"I haven't had any blood though!" It squawked, convulsing again. A sigh came from the body. "You'll pay double then, next mission, whether you like it or not!" came the spirit once again, this time anger boiling in it's voice.
The girl's body began to spasm, falling to it's knees and finally plummetting forward. The General caught her just before she broke her nose on the floor. He hefted the unconscious creature in his arms, pausing before walking out the door.
"I suggest you stay away from the girl, Ken-san." the General said, not looking the flaming-haired assasin. "She's enough trouble for me to even control. From now on, you'll steer clear of her missions, understood?" A pause. "Good. Dismissed."
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He remembered now. Such contrasting personalities in that body. It was hard to forget, and the look on her face as the General removed her from the office that day now resembled the soothing mask she now wore.
Kan Sukida. He said softly. A small smile grew on her face.
Well done, Himura-san. Well done. She asnwered. She left Sanosuke's side, coming to Kenshin and taking a hand and placing it on his forhead. You have my forgiveness.
A/N: Heya! Long time no see everybody! I've finally found time to finish up this chapter, and I'm still revising the last part of it to twist it and make it much better.. I have a couple of ideas that I could use, said with an evil grin, but I've been throwing stuff around and haven't made a whole lot of headway.. Meanwhile, you'll find Character Sketches posted on my homepage (IT IS COMING LADIES AND GENTS! YOU GET TO ACTUALLY SEE KAN SUKIDA!!) I didn't want to spoil anything with the character sketches and profiles... Weellll thats about it! NOW REVIEW BEFORE I SICK THE SPIRIT ON YOU!
