"Kenshin!" shouted Kaoru. "Behind you!"
Two sword-wailing men fell backwards, both with deep impressions across their faces. Standing where they were once facing was Himura Kenshin. His blue gi was flowing loosely in the breeze that blew across the open field, and the bright sun was shining brightly off his long hair. Still holding his sakaba parallel to the ground, he stood straight, smiling at his wife as he did so.
Despite the fact that Kaoru could see the thirty members of the Ji-Hu- Ti running at full steam towards her husband, she couldn't help but smile back. Kenshin always made things seem easy, even against incredible odds. But she still worried. Kaoru, still smiling, raised her hand and made a pointing gesture for her husband to turn around.
"I know," said Kenshin with a smile.
Dust clouds swirled from the dirt where Kenshin had once stood. With incredible speed, he shot towards his attackers. The Ji-Hu-Ti was a mafia- like mob of thieves who were terrorizing a nearby village. They hurt many innocent people…and Kenshin wasn't about to let their crimes go unpunished. He swung his sakaba around his left side, and then blasted it towards his right. A shockwave of air erupted the ground before the charging mob, sending the front line hurling backwards. Flying chunks of dirt struck the next few rows of thugs, knocking them to the ground. The rest of the mob halted quickly, but soon found the lone samurai standing behind them. Kenshin repeated the technique, sending more unconscious thieves tumbling backwards. When the dust clouds cleared, two men, sitting terrified in the dirt, were all that remained of the awake.
Kenshin watched them flee in a panic, screaming as they ran into the nearby forest. He sheathed his blade and turned towards Kaoru, who was waiting patiently back in the road.
"You know," Kaoru said. "You shouldn't let the other two get away. What if they come back?"
"I don't think they'll be hurting anyone anymore," said Kenshin as he reached her side. "The Ji-Hu-Ti have only attacked in large numbers, and I doubt those two will be coming back for their friends."
Kenshin smiled at his wife, staring deeply into her eyes. They were the most hypnotizing sight one could behold, and he found himself mesmerized every time. Kenshin took Kaoru's hand and walked with her down the road. Her hand was small, but squeezed tightly on his. After nearly seven years of marriage, their love had never stopped growing, nor did it slow down. For Kaoru, it was the life she's always dreamed about. For Kenshin, it was the life he thought he'd never have the chance to live. Perhaps that was what made him so protective of his wife and friends. They meant so much to him…and he would never let anything happen to them.
Kaoru leaned slightly on her husband as they walked, holding onto his arm with her other hand. She rested her head on his shoulders and closed her eyes, feeling safe and loved by the only man she ever wanted. Together the two headed South again, toward their home and the life they'd built.
From high above the open field, a man watched the couple walk down the road. The cliff was a perfect perch for him to view the fight that took place down below, and gave him a good angle to see the skill of Himura Kenshin. When he had been watching the short skirmish, the man had been feeling one of the hilts of his many swords. The two on his back were secured tightly with straps, and the katanas on either side of his waist hung loosely in place. He wanted to fight the battousai again – not to hurt him, but just because he had felt so alive when fighting such a great master of the sword. But if he didn't get the chance, it didn't matter. He considered Himura a friend. Granted, he'd hardly spent anytime around the battousai at all, but he still admired him.
"Chou," a voice said from somewhere behind him.
The man faced the direction of the voice, letting the sunshine his red gi. Chou was a former member of the jupongatana, the group of ten assassins led by Shishio Makoto. He was given a position in the secret police for his assistance with the campaign against Shishio, and, despite promising himself to leave whenever he wanted, had decided to stick with it. It felt weird at first to be making an honest living, but the oddness of it turned to good, and a realization that true honor came not in boasting the greatest sword, but in using it to protect the week. Though, none of this did anything to change his attitude towards authority.
"What?" Chou almost shouted. "I watched him, don't worry."
"And?" replied the voice.
Chou sighed. Standing under the shade of a large birch was Saito Hajime. Though extremely powerful, Saito was a rather rude individual…or at least that's what Chou thought. Saito was his superior, and had helped him progress up the ranks to achieve the security level necessary to know all that goes on in Japan. Together, the two samurai were the avenues of correction when the powerful in Japan became corrupt.
Saito dressed as he always did, the dark blue uniform showing his tall and slender frame. As usual, a cigarette hung from his mouth. With his arms crossed, he seemed almost too complacent to be police officer. But the sword hanging from his belt gave away his hidden talent.
"And," Chou told him. "He's still pretty sharp. Although, the Ji-Hu-Ti aren't exactly the most worthy of opponents, so I don't know what you expected to learn from this."
"Even though the Ji-Hu-Ti," said Saito, "are not worthy adversaries, they do provide adequate force with their numbers. How were the battousai's special techniques?"
"Well," said Chou as he turned to peer back down to the field below. "They were actually pretty sharp as well. I'd say he's kept up his skills since you last were with him."
Saito smiled. There were many reasons why he wanted the battousai to be the best fighter he could be…but none so great as his desire to be the greatest. Saito Hajime never considered himself as jealous or ambitious, but he wanted to be the victor over the battousai. The battle in Kyoto all those years ago never finished, and the fight in the Kamiya Dojo was interrupted before a decision could be made. He honestly would have been relieved even if he lost. At least then, the obsession with fighting Himura Battousai would end, and he could move on in life. But until such a time where the opportunity could be taken, he would have to wait. He needed the battousai's skills for a different purpose, one that would require the samurai's full potential.
Two sword-wailing men fell backwards, both with deep impressions across their faces. Standing where they were once facing was Himura Kenshin. His blue gi was flowing loosely in the breeze that blew across the open field, and the bright sun was shining brightly off his long hair. Still holding his sakaba parallel to the ground, he stood straight, smiling at his wife as he did so.
Despite the fact that Kaoru could see the thirty members of the Ji-Hu- Ti running at full steam towards her husband, she couldn't help but smile back. Kenshin always made things seem easy, even against incredible odds. But she still worried. Kaoru, still smiling, raised her hand and made a pointing gesture for her husband to turn around.
"I know," said Kenshin with a smile.
Dust clouds swirled from the dirt where Kenshin had once stood. With incredible speed, he shot towards his attackers. The Ji-Hu-Ti was a mafia- like mob of thieves who were terrorizing a nearby village. They hurt many innocent people…and Kenshin wasn't about to let their crimes go unpunished. He swung his sakaba around his left side, and then blasted it towards his right. A shockwave of air erupted the ground before the charging mob, sending the front line hurling backwards. Flying chunks of dirt struck the next few rows of thugs, knocking them to the ground. The rest of the mob halted quickly, but soon found the lone samurai standing behind them. Kenshin repeated the technique, sending more unconscious thieves tumbling backwards. When the dust clouds cleared, two men, sitting terrified in the dirt, were all that remained of the awake.
Kenshin watched them flee in a panic, screaming as they ran into the nearby forest. He sheathed his blade and turned towards Kaoru, who was waiting patiently back in the road.
"You know," Kaoru said. "You shouldn't let the other two get away. What if they come back?"
"I don't think they'll be hurting anyone anymore," said Kenshin as he reached her side. "The Ji-Hu-Ti have only attacked in large numbers, and I doubt those two will be coming back for their friends."
Kenshin smiled at his wife, staring deeply into her eyes. They were the most hypnotizing sight one could behold, and he found himself mesmerized every time. Kenshin took Kaoru's hand and walked with her down the road. Her hand was small, but squeezed tightly on his. After nearly seven years of marriage, their love had never stopped growing, nor did it slow down. For Kaoru, it was the life she's always dreamed about. For Kenshin, it was the life he thought he'd never have the chance to live. Perhaps that was what made him so protective of his wife and friends. They meant so much to him…and he would never let anything happen to them.
Kaoru leaned slightly on her husband as they walked, holding onto his arm with her other hand. She rested her head on his shoulders and closed her eyes, feeling safe and loved by the only man she ever wanted. Together the two headed South again, toward their home and the life they'd built.
From high above the open field, a man watched the couple walk down the road. The cliff was a perfect perch for him to view the fight that took place down below, and gave him a good angle to see the skill of Himura Kenshin. When he had been watching the short skirmish, the man had been feeling one of the hilts of his many swords. The two on his back were secured tightly with straps, and the katanas on either side of his waist hung loosely in place. He wanted to fight the battousai again – not to hurt him, but just because he had felt so alive when fighting such a great master of the sword. But if he didn't get the chance, it didn't matter. He considered Himura a friend. Granted, he'd hardly spent anytime around the battousai at all, but he still admired him.
"Chou," a voice said from somewhere behind him.
The man faced the direction of the voice, letting the sunshine his red gi. Chou was a former member of the jupongatana, the group of ten assassins led by Shishio Makoto. He was given a position in the secret police for his assistance with the campaign against Shishio, and, despite promising himself to leave whenever he wanted, had decided to stick with it. It felt weird at first to be making an honest living, but the oddness of it turned to good, and a realization that true honor came not in boasting the greatest sword, but in using it to protect the week. Though, none of this did anything to change his attitude towards authority.
"What?" Chou almost shouted. "I watched him, don't worry."
"And?" replied the voice.
Chou sighed. Standing under the shade of a large birch was Saito Hajime. Though extremely powerful, Saito was a rather rude individual…or at least that's what Chou thought. Saito was his superior, and had helped him progress up the ranks to achieve the security level necessary to know all that goes on in Japan. Together, the two samurai were the avenues of correction when the powerful in Japan became corrupt.
Saito dressed as he always did, the dark blue uniform showing his tall and slender frame. As usual, a cigarette hung from his mouth. With his arms crossed, he seemed almost too complacent to be police officer. But the sword hanging from his belt gave away his hidden talent.
"And," Chou told him. "He's still pretty sharp. Although, the Ji-Hu-Ti aren't exactly the most worthy of opponents, so I don't know what you expected to learn from this."
"Even though the Ji-Hu-Ti," said Saito, "are not worthy adversaries, they do provide adequate force with their numbers. How were the battousai's special techniques?"
"Well," said Chou as he turned to peer back down to the field below. "They were actually pretty sharp as well. I'd say he's kept up his skills since you last were with him."
Saito smiled. There were many reasons why he wanted the battousai to be the best fighter he could be…but none so great as his desire to be the greatest. Saito Hajime never considered himself as jealous or ambitious, but he wanted to be the victor over the battousai. The battle in Kyoto all those years ago never finished, and the fight in the Kamiya Dojo was interrupted before a decision could be made. He honestly would have been relieved even if he lost. At least then, the obsession with fighting Himura Battousai would end, and he could move on in life. But until such a time where the opportunity could be taken, he would have to wait. He needed the battousai's skills for a different purpose, one that would require the samurai's full potential.