"Enishi???!!"
Just what exactly would Yukishiro Enishi have to do with this situation?
"By the looks on your faces, I can tell that I'm going to have to resort to
explaning myself." Shiro retreated comfortably to a dark corner of the room,
sitting on the floor with her legs crossed. The other 3, however, were not
willing to take the risk of being at ease. "Your wife....she 'died' once, didn't
she?"
"Kaoru...?" Died? When? Kenshin repeated these questions to himself...if Kaoru
died, how could she be here now with him?
Sanosuke struck his palm with his fist. "I got it! The doll! The one that Enishi
made to look like Kaoru."
"Ah...I see now." Kenshin was surprised himself that Sano could recall that
incident.
Murasaki was lost to the entire conversation, not that she was really interested
in it to begin with.
"Give a prize to the chicken-head." Shiro smirked.
"What exactly are you trying to get at?" Kenshin questioned.
"The doll and I are the same. Except for the possibility to move, live and
breathe."
"You......you're not human?"
Shiro burst into laughter. "Of course not. Murasaki would probably be the only
that had any sort of clue, right?" She directed her question towards Murasaki.
"Ever thought about those times that my cuts rarely bled no matter how deep you
thought you cut me?"
Recalling, Murasaki realised that even those times when she pushed herself to
the max in her battles against Shiro, her foe never showed any signs of fatigue,
nor did any battle scars remain.
"Anyhow, it's too late now." Shiro charged at Kenshin. "If Murasaki was able to
bring out the Battousai, so can I." Kenshin braced himself into a defense
position, only to feel a small wind pass him.
?
Kaoru!
Why did all his enemies resort to her? Hasn't she suffered enough?
"Sano! She's going for Kaoru and the others!"
"Then what are you waiting for?" Sano grabbed Kenshin's shoulder and dragged him
along. But a voice stopped them.
"You're not going anywhere."
Sanosuke managed to steal out; Jo-chan couldn't die...not now. She had so much
more of her life to live...a husband...a child...maybe even more children.
*sigh* "How long're they going to take?" Yahiko paced back and forth. "They
should've been finished by now..."
"She's his own daughter, Yahiko!" Kaoru's hand found the back of his head with a
quick slap, cradling Kenji in the other.
"Ow! My head's gotten enough beating for one night."
"You have no idea what's going through Kenshin's head...what can he do when his
only daughter wants to kill him?"
Kenji giggled with delight; he enjoyed seeing his mother mouth off his uncles,
as they never an argument of defence. But his fun usually ended when his father
came to their rescue.
But his giggling was cut short.
"Please let me save my child." His emotions were so mixed and confused: pain for
seeing the blood-thirsty look in his daughter's eyes, anxiety for wanting to
hold her in his arms again, a longing to just end this for his family's and
friends' lives, anger towards the one who caused all this pain to begin with...
Enishi...
I guess those from your past stay with you forever.
"And why should I?" Her expression was stone-faced and cold.
"Put yourself in my place..."
"In the first place, I wouldn't abandon my child and kill my spouse."
"I'm tired of this..." Kenshin shook his head. "Those words...over and over
again...I'm so tired of them! And yet, you will never give me the chance to
explain!"
"You never needed to." Murasaki untied the purple pendant from her sword hilt,
holding it gently in the palm of her hand. "Ever since I've been here...since I
met you...it's colour grew more and more dull. Like it were mourning...like life
itself was being drained from it."
"Where...?" But he didn't need to ask. The hue instantly reminded him of the
royal purple shade of Tomoe's silk sash. How it adorned her shoulders,
comforting her small frame like a pair of protective arms.
"This was the only thing that she and I shared between ourselves secretly...must
have been if you don't know about it."
"Then can I make a request? Forgive me and give me a chance...let us create
something that we can call our own. I know that I can probably never be a father
figure to you, but can I at least start over as a friend?"
"So that you can hurt me all over again? No thanks."
"Let him go now, witch!" Yahiko had a tight grip on his shinai; Kaoru stood
behind him, in shock from the sight before her.
Shiro was holding Kenji by the waist of his pants, a small dagger in the other
hand.
"You. Come with me, or the kid dies."
"And how do I know you'll keep to your word?" Yahiko spoke for Kaoru, knowing
that she was not in any state to really answer.
"You don't." She sneered. "BUt what choice do you have?"
"I'll....I'll go."
"Kaoru! No!"
But it was too late. She was already half-way between the two. And any move
Yahiko could make would cause the loss of 2 lives.
"Good girl. See, Mommy's a nice girl. And I don't need you anymore." Without
hesitation, she tossed Kenji into the air behind her.
"NO!"
Kenji stopped a few inches above the ground; a bandaged hand clasped on the
small boy's shirt.
"Guess I did keep my word." She spoke to Sano without facing him. "And nice
timing. Of course, I did expect you to show up a bit earlier." And with those
words, she disappeared with Kaoru.
"Do you even want to know why I left you?"
"No I..."
"You're going to listen anyway. I led a very difficult and terrible life...I was
a murderer for hire. I thought I was trying to help to form a new era, but I was
going about it all the wrong way. It was your mother that made realise that. She
loved me for me, and not what I could do for her...she loved the person inside
me, not the cold exterior I had as the Battousai. But, she wasn't truthful to
me. From day one, she had conspired to kill me. Because the night before I met
her, I killed her fianceé."
"You...you're saying that..."
"She was engaged to be married the following month. The death of her loved one
set revenge in her heart. She was hired to kill me...but eventually, her hate
turned into love. It was too bad she didn't sever her ties with the man who
hired her. I...I never saw...she leapt into the way...he had hidden a knife in
his hand...I...I'm sorry Tomoe..." His head lowered, giving a few seconds of
mourning to his previous wife. He continued his story.
"Do you think a killer could take care of a child? Or that he would even be fit
to? You needed a stable life and loving family, one that would be there for you
all the time...unlike an ex-Hitokiri. SO I brought you to the closest person to
a friend...Katsura-san. I'm sure he and his wife took wonderful care of you. You
were happy, no?" Kenshin raised his head, his red bangs framed his aging face. A
small caring smile crossed his face. Enough to make Murasaki forget her anger
for him for a few moments.
"Yes...I was happy. But I knew that they weren't my real parents."
Kenshin raised an eyebrow, glad that they could finally have a decent
conversation. "Oh? How so?"
Murasaki laughed. "Oh, really now. I didn't get my hair colour from any of
them." She grabbed some locks of her bangs, smirking.
Kenshin grabbed some of his as well. "That's true." He smiled. "We have more in
common than you think. Katsura took care of me as well, during my youth. I went
through the loss of family as well."
"How so?"
"May parents died of cholera, and I was bought by some slave dealers where I met
some really nice women. They took such wonderful care of me...but one night..."
Murasaki shook her head. "No more. I understand now..." A hint of sorrow touched
her voice. "I'm sorry. My anger blinded me, and all I wanted was revenge for my
mother....and the tireless journey to find you..my father...." She braced
forward, her oncoming tears began fuzzying her vision. The clinks of swords fell
to the ground as father and daughter embraced each other in a hug.
"It's ok...let them flow."
The memory of his smell returned to her mind........so many years ago and yet
she could still remember it.
KENSHIN!
The 2 appeared outside only to find 2 awestricken uncles holding their nephew.
"She's gone...we tried..."
"Let's go." Kenshin nodded to Murasaki and 2 flashs of red blurred into the
distance.
Just what exactly would Yukishiro Enishi have to do with this situation?
"By the looks on your faces, I can tell that I'm going to have to resort to
explaning myself." Shiro retreated comfortably to a dark corner of the room,
sitting on the floor with her legs crossed. The other 3, however, were not
willing to take the risk of being at ease. "Your wife....she 'died' once, didn't
she?"
"Kaoru...?" Died? When? Kenshin repeated these questions to himself...if Kaoru
died, how could she be here now with him?
Sanosuke struck his palm with his fist. "I got it! The doll! The one that Enishi
made to look like Kaoru."
"Ah...I see now." Kenshin was surprised himself that Sano could recall that
incident.
Murasaki was lost to the entire conversation, not that she was really interested
in it to begin with.
"Give a prize to the chicken-head." Shiro smirked.
"What exactly are you trying to get at?" Kenshin questioned.
"The doll and I are the same. Except for the possibility to move, live and
breathe."
"You......you're not human?"
Shiro burst into laughter. "Of course not. Murasaki would probably be the only
that had any sort of clue, right?" She directed her question towards Murasaki.
"Ever thought about those times that my cuts rarely bled no matter how deep you
thought you cut me?"
Recalling, Murasaki realised that even those times when she pushed herself to
the max in her battles against Shiro, her foe never showed any signs of fatigue,
nor did any battle scars remain.
"Anyhow, it's too late now." Shiro charged at Kenshin. "If Murasaki was able to
bring out the Battousai, so can I." Kenshin braced himself into a defense
position, only to feel a small wind pass him.
?
Kaoru!
Why did all his enemies resort to her? Hasn't she suffered enough?
"Sano! She's going for Kaoru and the others!"
"Then what are you waiting for?" Sano grabbed Kenshin's shoulder and dragged him
along. But a voice stopped them.
"You're not going anywhere."
Sanosuke managed to steal out; Jo-chan couldn't die...not now. She had so much
more of her life to live...a husband...a child...maybe even more children.
*sigh* "How long're they going to take?" Yahiko paced back and forth. "They
should've been finished by now..."
"She's his own daughter, Yahiko!" Kaoru's hand found the back of his head with a
quick slap, cradling Kenji in the other.
"Ow! My head's gotten enough beating for one night."
"You have no idea what's going through Kenshin's head...what can he do when his
only daughter wants to kill him?"
Kenji giggled with delight; he enjoyed seeing his mother mouth off his uncles,
as they never an argument of defence. But his fun usually ended when his father
came to their rescue.
But his giggling was cut short.
"Please let me save my child." His emotions were so mixed and confused: pain for
seeing the blood-thirsty look in his daughter's eyes, anxiety for wanting to
hold her in his arms again, a longing to just end this for his family's and
friends' lives, anger towards the one who caused all this pain to begin with...
Enishi...
I guess those from your past stay with you forever.
"And why should I?" Her expression was stone-faced and cold.
"Put yourself in my place..."
"In the first place, I wouldn't abandon my child and kill my spouse."
"I'm tired of this..." Kenshin shook his head. "Those words...over and over
again...I'm so tired of them! And yet, you will never give me the chance to
explain!"
"You never needed to." Murasaki untied the purple pendant from her sword hilt,
holding it gently in the palm of her hand. "Ever since I've been here...since I
met you...it's colour grew more and more dull. Like it were mourning...like life
itself was being drained from it."
"Where...?" But he didn't need to ask. The hue instantly reminded him of the
royal purple shade of Tomoe's silk sash. How it adorned her shoulders,
comforting her small frame like a pair of protective arms.
"This was the only thing that she and I shared between ourselves secretly...must
have been if you don't know about it."
"Then can I make a request? Forgive me and give me a chance...let us create
something that we can call our own. I know that I can probably never be a father
figure to you, but can I at least start over as a friend?"
"So that you can hurt me all over again? No thanks."
"Let him go now, witch!" Yahiko had a tight grip on his shinai; Kaoru stood
behind him, in shock from the sight before her.
Shiro was holding Kenji by the waist of his pants, a small dagger in the other
hand.
"You. Come with me, or the kid dies."
"And how do I know you'll keep to your word?" Yahiko spoke for Kaoru, knowing
that she was not in any state to really answer.
"You don't." She sneered. "BUt what choice do you have?"
"I'll....I'll go."
"Kaoru! No!"
But it was too late. She was already half-way between the two. And any move
Yahiko could make would cause the loss of 2 lives.
"Good girl. See, Mommy's a nice girl. And I don't need you anymore." Without
hesitation, she tossed Kenji into the air behind her.
"NO!"
Kenji stopped a few inches above the ground; a bandaged hand clasped on the
small boy's shirt.
"Guess I did keep my word." She spoke to Sano without facing him. "And nice
timing. Of course, I did expect you to show up a bit earlier." And with those
words, she disappeared with Kaoru.
"Do you even want to know why I left you?"
"No I..."
"You're going to listen anyway. I led a very difficult and terrible life...I was
a murderer for hire. I thought I was trying to help to form a new era, but I was
going about it all the wrong way. It was your mother that made realise that. She
loved me for me, and not what I could do for her...she loved the person inside
me, not the cold exterior I had as the Battousai. But, she wasn't truthful to
me. From day one, she had conspired to kill me. Because the night before I met
her, I killed her fianceé."
"You...you're saying that..."
"She was engaged to be married the following month. The death of her loved one
set revenge in her heart. She was hired to kill me...but eventually, her hate
turned into love. It was too bad she didn't sever her ties with the man who
hired her. I...I never saw...she leapt into the way...he had hidden a knife in
his hand...I...I'm sorry Tomoe..." His head lowered, giving a few seconds of
mourning to his previous wife. He continued his story.
"Do you think a killer could take care of a child? Or that he would even be fit
to? You needed a stable life and loving family, one that would be there for you
all the time...unlike an ex-Hitokiri. SO I brought you to the closest person to
a friend...Katsura-san. I'm sure he and his wife took wonderful care of you. You
were happy, no?" Kenshin raised his head, his red bangs framed his aging face. A
small caring smile crossed his face. Enough to make Murasaki forget her anger
for him for a few moments.
"Yes...I was happy. But I knew that they weren't my real parents."
Kenshin raised an eyebrow, glad that they could finally have a decent
conversation. "Oh? How so?"
Murasaki laughed. "Oh, really now. I didn't get my hair colour from any of
them." She grabbed some locks of her bangs, smirking.
Kenshin grabbed some of his as well. "That's true." He smiled. "We have more in
common than you think. Katsura took care of me as well, during my youth. I went
through the loss of family as well."
"How so?"
"May parents died of cholera, and I was bought by some slave dealers where I met
some really nice women. They took such wonderful care of me...but one night..."
Murasaki shook her head. "No more. I understand now..." A hint of sorrow touched
her voice. "I'm sorry. My anger blinded me, and all I wanted was revenge for my
mother....and the tireless journey to find you..my father...." She braced
forward, her oncoming tears began fuzzying her vision. The clinks of swords fell
to the ground as father and daughter embraced each other in a hug.
"It's ok...let them flow."
The memory of his smell returned to her mind........so many years ago and yet
she could still remember it.
KENSHIN!
The 2 appeared outside only to find 2 awestricken uncles holding their nephew.
"She's gone...we tried..."
"Let's go." Kenshin nodded to Murasaki and 2 flashs of red blurred into the
distance.