Scythe: Here's the Eighth chapter, people. I know you're all dying to read
it XD.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter Eight
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Standing, Yuuki paid for their meal and gestured for the manslayer to get up as well. He responded, doing just that and grabbing his sword. As they left, people stared and pointed to their swords, hissing words under their breath, accusations and some even recognized him as the Battousai. It didn't even faze him at all, and he just ignored them, until he got outside. It was night, just as they planned. Yuuki and him self crept through the shadows, slowly, hardly making a noise, if any at all, and they were extremely cautious as they slipped into the police station.
"Um, excuse me, but we'll have to take your swords. They are not allowed here under the law of-" Before he could finish, there was a smirk and a gesture from Yuuki, and the cop was lying on the floor, bleeding, his throat slit. The other's around them gasped and drew their own swords.
"What do you expect to achieve by this? Raiding a police station? You're out of your minds!" One said, and another blindly launched himself forward, sword in the air. He brought it down on the Battousai, but the Battousai was gone before the blade even got near him. He appeared behind him and slashed out, slicing through the delicate skin of the human before him. He raised the blade to his lips and smirked, reflecting the light off his blood-stained sword towards the others. They all took a step back in horror, appalled at the site they were seeing. One of their men had just died, and by the hands of this other so easily.
"Yes, and we enjoy every minute of it." Yuuki replied, that same smirk graced his lips once again. He loved getting a rise out of people.
A few of them decided to team up and circled around him, oblivious to the fact that Yuuki was making his way towards the keys on the desk, and swiping them up with ease. All the while, the Battousai whirled around in a circle, like some sort of exotic dance, and slashed all of them in one round, blood spattering across his face and clothes as they fell. He licked his lips, ridding them of the tainted blood he disliked in taste. He grabbed the last, shaking officer by the collar and quickly plunged his sword into the depths of his stomach, piercing him all the way through, then letting him go, the blade slicing up as he fell.
He flicked his wrist, cleaning his blade, more or less, of the blood that had been on it, with the air from the swift swish. He stepped over the dead bodies and followed where Yuuki had gone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He couldn't believe his eyes. The kid was gone, his cell was unlocked, and there was no trace of where he went. His eye twitched in annoyance. Someone had let him out, and he knew it. Someone who had to have access to the keys, and someone who knew they were coming. But no one knew they were coming, or so he thought.
In the shadows, Hajime Saitou had his hand over Yahiko's mouth, keeping him quiet, and guiding him to the outside world. Once they finally made it outside, he told Yahiko to hide somewhere close by. No, Saitou hadn't known they were coming, he had just had a feeling something bad was going to happen and the young swordsman-in-training was the cause of it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yuuki grit his teeth, hard, and hissed through them in anger. The man in power snapped at the Battousai to find whoever it was that had taken the kid, but the Battousai was already walking away.
"Where the hell are you going?"
"There's someone outside with a strong fighting spirit, and it calls to me."
"What are you talking about?"
But all he could do was follow him. Sure enough, Hajime Saitou stood, waiting for them outside. He, himself actually didn't realize he was waiting for THEM, but it didn't matter, he knew once Kenshin stepped outside drenched in blood who had done what. His eyes traveled along the blood ridden form, and he then back up to violet eyes he knew all too well. "So you're the one who's doing this, Battousai." It sure as hell wasn't a question. (AN: Obviously 'cause there's no question mark =P)
That sense of familiarity was back again, and it chilled the manslayer to the bone. Why was it so strange to see this man here in front of him? His head was starting to hurt, and something was trying to make itself known within his head, but he suppressed it, drawing his sword.
"Battousai, get rid of this impudent fool quickly, and then find the kid!"
He didn't need to be told once. Hell, he didn't need to be told at all. They began circling each other, and the stopped, going into their individual stances. Something flashed before his eyes, and he twitched, his head ached horribly, but he couldn't get the picture clear enough to see. It didn't matter. All he had to do was defeat this man; that was simple enough.
At a speed greater than the human eye could follow, they flung themselves towards each other and swords clashed. They swung around, and a tap was heard as their feet touched the ground before it left it again, and they were in the air, jumping at each other. The red head spun around, swinging his sword out, but each slash was blocked effectively by the other man. As he was pushed away, powerfully by Saitou, he stopped, looking at him with wide eyes; it was like he had done this fight before, like it was some age old dance.
"Who are you?"
"Shouldn't you know, Battousai?"
The manslayer's violet gaze narrowed again. "Don't answer my questions with questions of your own."
"Enough talk, Battousai. If you have truly forgotten me, then prove it!"
The smaller of the two 'tsk'ed slightly in irritation and they were at each others' throats again, hissing at each other, for nothing seemed to work against each other. His headache kept getting worse, every time he looked into those golden eyes, and tried to keep eye contact, things within him began to get complicated.
'Stop!'
He suddenly faltered in his movements, eyes going wide when he heard the voice. What in the world? That falter was all Saitou needed and he stabbed Kenshin through the shoulder, eliciting an unexpected cry from him. He clutched his sword still, but the blade was still through him, so he couldn't move, lest he wanted to be sliced in half. He stood there, in pain, and glared at the other.
"Kenshin, you haven't forgotten me. You fought me the same way you did all those years ago when we faced off in town, and here we are, in a town, fighting the same battle; the same steps."
There was a defiant glare from the red-head, so Saitou, smirking slightly to himself, and raising the blade, cut upwards slightly, earning a wince from his opponent. He watched as the blood began to pool at the manslayer's feet, a sickening sight he never wanted to see; not under Kenshin. He wrenched the blade back, freeing the Battousai, and eyed his bleeding competitor as he clutched his shoulder, trying to keep himself upright. He was probably extremely weak from the blood-loss, the wolf guessed.
To his surprise, the red-head raised his sword, catching him off guard, and plunged forward, digging the blade into Saitou's stomach.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
For the first time that night, Yuuki drew his long sword, carrying it readily at his side. He saw movement in the shadows of the alley; the same alley that he had framed the kid in. "I know you're here, I can see you." He was lying, hoping that the kid would step out of the shadows from which he hid, but he didn't, and it pissed him off. "Just give it up, this is the fate that I've decided for you, and I always get what I want. After all, I got your precious Kenshin, did I not?" He heard an enraged scream as Yahiko jumped out from where he was hiding.
"No! Kenshin would NEVER side with you!"
"That's right, he wouldn't, but then again, he isn't Kenshin anymore, is he? He's the Battousai. That's who he is deep down, and that's who he will be for eternity, even after he dies. He will live on in legend as the one who made it rain blood, the one that made the 'Bloody Age'. No, there is no Meiji Era. Not as long as he is alive, kid and so I've come to take over and make a name for myself."
"Why! Why did you have to use Kenshin? He's not the Battousai anymore! He's just a wanderer."
"With a sword?"
"His sword protects!"
There was a smirk tugging at his lips; that same smirk that was always on his face whenever he was amused. "Think about what you said. The word 'sword' and 'protect' cannot be used in the same sentence, my friend. The sword was created for death; to kill, and that's all it can ever do. How do you 'protect' anyone with a sword?"
"Well..."
"Perhaps you should think before you speak, child."
"What about the reverse blade, huh?"
"Again, think before you speak. If it has a blade, then it can still kill, and killing is not protecting. But of course, you knew that." That stupid smirk got wider. "Give it up, you can never cover for that killer, no one can."
Yahiko felt tears prick his eyes. Kenshin wasn't like that! He just wasn't! He knew him, he'd lived with him for years, and he knew that he could kill, but that was only if he needed to. But killing... isn't protecting. The words echoed in his head.
Yuuki raised a brow, seeing how Yahiko was beginning to cry, he decided to make his move. He raised his sword. "Let me take away your pain."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It hadn't hurt at first, but he was really feeling it now. No matter, he thought as he grabbed the blade of the sword, the sharp edge cutting through his gloves and slicing through the skin of his fingers. He felt the blood, running down his fingers, running down his clothes and onto the ground. He tensed, only serving to dump the crimson liquid out of him faster. He pulled on the blade, ignoring the sharp pain, and Kenshin was jerked forward. In his last attempt to get Kenshin's memory back, he kissed him, but he really wasn't sure what possessed him to think that a simple kiss would bring him back to reality. There was gasp from his red-headed beauty. Well, at least it shocked him; it was good to hear a gasp from him, since he was apparently going to die from blood-loss. He let go of the blade, and it was pulled out of him.
"Saitou!" He heard as he fell back, lightheaded onto the ground, vision blackening.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yahiko ducked under and tackled the unsuspecting Yuuki to the ground. He got up as quickly as he could and made a dash for it. "You're a lame swordsman!" he shouted over his shoulder, doing what he did best; running. It wasn't very long before he heard Yuuki running behind him, trying to catch up. He looked behind him, and squeaked. Yuuki was catching up faster than he anticipated. Turning back and looking ahead, he decided he had to find some sort of weapon to protect himself, or Kenshin. Wait, Kenshin wasn't Kenshin right now, was he? He bit his lip, tears pricking his eyes again. Then the question of Kaoru came up in his mind.
Where as Kaoru? Wasn't she sick?
Yahiko suddenly stopped, aghast at the horrid site in front of him. Kenshin stood over a fallen Saitou, a bloody sword in his equally bloody hand. He was breathing heavily, his other hand on his shoulder, which was bleeding unsympathetically.
No, it couldn't be!
"Good, you've taken care of him, Battousai. Why don't you take care of THIS brat?" He lifted the still shocked Yahiko by the back of his collar, clear off the ground.
Narrow, violet eyes turned towards him. "...Sure."
He lifted his sword, walking to them, his eyes rested upon the yellow-clad boy suspended in mid air by Yuuki. "Goodbye..."
He flung his blade forward and with a sickening thud, Yahiko was dropped.
"...Yuuki."
The jade eyes of his enemy were wide with shock, fear, and pain; deep pain. His mouth opened and closed in silent questions of how.
"Memory cannot be erased; it can merely be suppressed, and they can always be found again."
Pushing up with his hand on the dull edge of the blade, he successfully sliced the foul being in two, and there was a spry of blood as he fell, hopefully the last one he'd have to see, ever again.
He dropped his sword and went to Saitou's aid, crouching down beside him. He looked at the amazing amount of blood around the tall man and panicked. He had to find a doctor, and quick.
"Yahiko, please, find a doctor, any doctor!"
Yahiko got to his feet, took a few steps back, slowly, and then turn and ran as fast as he could, calling out for help.
"Saitou, Saitou, please open your eyes."
'Is he going to be alright?' A small voice asked in his head.
/It would be better if he died. If you leave now, you can start over somewhere else/ said another.
"No, stop it. Don't say things like that!" Wait, he was talking to himself... "Who... who are you?"
/...../
'.....' It suddenly seemed like they weren't there anymore, even thought he asked again, and again after that.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Scythe: Ahhhh! What's going to happen to Saitou?! Well, I know, but you don't =DD FWAHAHAHAHA... ahem... sorry... I'm rather pleased with this chapter. In the next one you get to find out... HAHA you thought I'd tell you? XD Anyways. Please review. You know me ~ ^
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter Eight
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Standing, Yuuki paid for their meal and gestured for the manslayer to get up as well. He responded, doing just that and grabbing his sword. As they left, people stared and pointed to their swords, hissing words under their breath, accusations and some even recognized him as the Battousai. It didn't even faze him at all, and he just ignored them, until he got outside. It was night, just as they planned. Yuuki and him self crept through the shadows, slowly, hardly making a noise, if any at all, and they were extremely cautious as they slipped into the police station.
"Um, excuse me, but we'll have to take your swords. They are not allowed here under the law of-" Before he could finish, there was a smirk and a gesture from Yuuki, and the cop was lying on the floor, bleeding, his throat slit. The other's around them gasped and drew their own swords.
"What do you expect to achieve by this? Raiding a police station? You're out of your minds!" One said, and another blindly launched himself forward, sword in the air. He brought it down on the Battousai, but the Battousai was gone before the blade even got near him. He appeared behind him and slashed out, slicing through the delicate skin of the human before him. He raised the blade to his lips and smirked, reflecting the light off his blood-stained sword towards the others. They all took a step back in horror, appalled at the site they were seeing. One of their men had just died, and by the hands of this other so easily.
"Yes, and we enjoy every minute of it." Yuuki replied, that same smirk graced his lips once again. He loved getting a rise out of people.
A few of them decided to team up and circled around him, oblivious to the fact that Yuuki was making his way towards the keys on the desk, and swiping them up with ease. All the while, the Battousai whirled around in a circle, like some sort of exotic dance, and slashed all of them in one round, blood spattering across his face and clothes as they fell. He licked his lips, ridding them of the tainted blood he disliked in taste. He grabbed the last, shaking officer by the collar and quickly plunged his sword into the depths of his stomach, piercing him all the way through, then letting him go, the blade slicing up as he fell.
He flicked his wrist, cleaning his blade, more or less, of the blood that had been on it, with the air from the swift swish. He stepped over the dead bodies and followed where Yuuki had gone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He couldn't believe his eyes. The kid was gone, his cell was unlocked, and there was no trace of where he went. His eye twitched in annoyance. Someone had let him out, and he knew it. Someone who had to have access to the keys, and someone who knew they were coming. But no one knew they were coming, or so he thought.
In the shadows, Hajime Saitou had his hand over Yahiko's mouth, keeping him quiet, and guiding him to the outside world. Once they finally made it outside, he told Yahiko to hide somewhere close by. No, Saitou hadn't known they were coming, he had just had a feeling something bad was going to happen and the young swordsman-in-training was the cause of it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yuuki grit his teeth, hard, and hissed through them in anger. The man in power snapped at the Battousai to find whoever it was that had taken the kid, but the Battousai was already walking away.
"Where the hell are you going?"
"There's someone outside with a strong fighting spirit, and it calls to me."
"What are you talking about?"
But all he could do was follow him. Sure enough, Hajime Saitou stood, waiting for them outside. He, himself actually didn't realize he was waiting for THEM, but it didn't matter, he knew once Kenshin stepped outside drenched in blood who had done what. His eyes traveled along the blood ridden form, and he then back up to violet eyes he knew all too well. "So you're the one who's doing this, Battousai." It sure as hell wasn't a question. (AN: Obviously 'cause there's no question mark =P)
That sense of familiarity was back again, and it chilled the manslayer to the bone. Why was it so strange to see this man here in front of him? His head was starting to hurt, and something was trying to make itself known within his head, but he suppressed it, drawing his sword.
"Battousai, get rid of this impudent fool quickly, and then find the kid!"
He didn't need to be told once. Hell, he didn't need to be told at all. They began circling each other, and the stopped, going into their individual stances. Something flashed before his eyes, and he twitched, his head ached horribly, but he couldn't get the picture clear enough to see. It didn't matter. All he had to do was defeat this man; that was simple enough.
At a speed greater than the human eye could follow, they flung themselves towards each other and swords clashed. They swung around, and a tap was heard as their feet touched the ground before it left it again, and they were in the air, jumping at each other. The red head spun around, swinging his sword out, but each slash was blocked effectively by the other man. As he was pushed away, powerfully by Saitou, he stopped, looking at him with wide eyes; it was like he had done this fight before, like it was some age old dance.
"Who are you?"
"Shouldn't you know, Battousai?"
The manslayer's violet gaze narrowed again. "Don't answer my questions with questions of your own."
"Enough talk, Battousai. If you have truly forgotten me, then prove it!"
The smaller of the two 'tsk'ed slightly in irritation and they were at each others' throats again, hissing at each other, for nothing seemed to work against each other. His headache kept getting worse, every time he looked into those golden eyes, and tried to keep eye contact, things within him began to get complicated.
'Stop!'
He suddenly faltered in his movements, eyes going wide when he heard the voice. What in the world? That falter was all Saitou needed and he stabbed Kenshin through the shoulder, eliciting an unexpected cry from him. He clutched his sword still, but the blade was still through him, so he couldn't move, lest he wanted to be sliced in half. He stood there, in pain, and glared at the other.
"Kenshin, you haven't forgotten me. You fought me the same way you did all those years ago when we faced off in town, and here we are, in a town, fighting the same battle; the same steps."
There was a defiant glare from the red-head, so Saitou, smirking slightly to himself, and raising the blade, cut upwards slightly, earning a wince from his opponent. He watched as the blood began to pool at the manslayer's feet, a sickening sight he never wanted to see; not under Kenshin. He wrenched the blade back, freeing the Battousai, and eyed his bleeding competitor as he clutched his shoulder, trying to keep himself upright. He was probably extremely weak from the blood-loss, the wolf guessed.
To his surprise, the red-head raised his sword, catching him off guard, and plunged forward, digging the blade into Saitou's stomach.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
For the first time that night, Yuuki drew his long sword, carrying it readily at his side. He saw movement in the shadows of the alley; the same alley that he had framed the kid in. "I know you're here, I can see you." He was lying, hoping that the kid would step out of the shadows from which he hid, but he didn't, and it pissed him off. "Just give it up, this is the fate that I've decided for you, and I always get what I want. After all, I got your precious Kenshin, did I not?" He heard an enraged scream as Yahiko jumped out from where he was hiding.
"No! Kenshin would NEVER side with you!"
"That's right, he wouldn't, but then again, he isn't Kenshin anymore, is he? He's the Battousai. That's who he is deep down, and that's who he will be for eternity, even after he dies. He will live on in legend as the one who made it rain blood, the one that made the 'Bloody Age'. No, there is no Meiji Era. Not as long as he is alive, kid and so I've come to take over and make a name for myself."
"Why! Why did you have to use Kenshin? He's not the Battousai anymore! He's just a wanderer."
"With a sword?"
"His sword protects!"
There was a smirk tugging at his lips; that same smirk that was always on his face whenever he was amused. "Think about what you said. The word 'sword' and 'protect' cannot be used in the same sentence, my friend. The sword was created for death; to kill, and that's all it can ever do. How do you 'protect' anyone with a sword?"
"Well..."
"Perhaps you should think before you speak, child."
"What about the reverse blade, huh?"
"Again, think before you speak. If it has a blade, then it can still kill, and killing is not protecting. But of course, you knew that." That stupid smirk got wider. "Give it up, you can never cover for that killer, no one can."
Yahiko felt tears prick his eyes. Kenshin wasn't like that! He just wasn't! He knew him, he'd lived with him for years, and he knew that he could kill, but that was only if he needed to. But killing... isn't protecting. The words echoed in his head.
Yuuki raised a brow, seeing how Yahiko was beginning to cry, he decided to make his move. He raised his sword. "Let me take away your pain."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It hadn't hurt at first, but he was really feeling it now. No matter, he thought as he grabbed the blade of the sword, the sharp edge cutting through his gloves and slicing through the skin of his fingers. He felt the blood, running down his fingers, running down his clothes and onto the ground. He tensed, only serving to dump the crimson liquid out of him faster. He pulled on the blade, ignoring the sharp pain, and Kenshin was jerked forward. In his last attempt to get Kenshin's memory back, he kissed him, but he really wasn't sure what possessed him to think that a simple kiss would bring him back to reality. There was gasp from his red-headed beauty. Well, at least it shocked him; it was good to hear a gasp from him, since he was apparently going to die from blood-loss. He let go of the blade, and it was pulled out of him.
"Saitou!" He heard as he fell back, lightheaded onto the ground, vision blackening.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yahiko ducked under and tackled the unsuspecting Yuuki to the ground. He got up as quickly as he could and made a dash for it. "You're a lame swordsman!" he shouted over his shoulder, doing what he did best; running. It wasn't very long before he heard Yuuki running behind him, trying to catch up. He looked behind him, and squeaked. Yuuki was catching up faster than he anticipated. Turning back and looking ahead, he decided he had to find some sort of weapon to protect himself, or Kenshin. Wait, Kenshin wasn't Kenshin right now, was he? He bit his lip, tears pricking his eyes again. Then the question of Kaoru came up in his mind.
Where as Kaoru? Wasn't she sick?
Yahiko suddenly stopped, aghast at the horrid site in front of him. Kenshin stood over a fallen Saitou, a bloody sword in his equally bloody hand. He was breathing heavily, his other hand on his shoulder, which was bleeding unsympathetically.
No, it couldn't be!
"Good, you've taken care of him, Battousai. Why don't you take care of THIS brat?" He lifted the still shocked Yahiko by the back of his collar, clear off the ground.
Narrow, violet eyes turned towards him. "...Sure."
He lifted his sword, walking to them, his eyes rested upon the yellow-clad boy suspended in mid air by Yuuki. "Goodbye..."
He flung his blade forward and with a sickening thud, Yahiko was dropped.
"...Yuuki."
The jade eyes of his enemy were wide with shock, fear, and pain; deep pain. His mouth opened and closed in silent questions of how.
"Memory cannot be erased; it can merely be suppressed, and they can always be found again."
Pushing up with his hand on the dull edge of the blade, he successfully sliced the foul being in two, and there was a spry of blood as he fell, hopefully the last one he'd have to see, ever again.
He dropped his sword and went to Saitou's aid, crouching down beside him. He looked at the amazing amount of blood around the tall man and panicked. He had to find a doctor, and quick.
"Yahiko, please, find a doctor, any doctor!"
Yahiko got to his feet, took a few steps back, slowly, and then turn and ran as fast as he could, calling out for help.
"Saitou, Saitou, please open your eyes."
'Is he going to be alright?' A small voice asked in his head.
/It would be better if he died. If you leave now, you can start over somewhere else/ said another.
"No, stop it. Don't say things like that!" Wait, he was talking to himself... "Who... who are you?"
/...../
'.....' It suddenly seemed like they weren't there anymore, even thought he asked again, and again after that.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Scythe: Ahhhh! What's going to happen to Saitou?! Well, I know, but you don't =DD FWAHAHAHAHA... ahem... sorry... I'm rather pleased with this chapter. In the next one you get to find out... HAHA you thought I'd tell you? XD Anyways. Please review. You know me ~ ^