Chapter 8
Kenshin stared into the eyes of his former brother. He looked at Hamtaro. I'd rather not have him involved. Besides its getting pretty dark meaning the ritual will be soon and he still has to fight Joe and the devil ham.
"Hey Hamtaro. As soon as I attack I want you to run for it."
"But Kenshin, Shade is incredibly strong. How are you going to defeat him."
"Hamtaro this guy was my brother." Hamtaro was shocked. One of devil ham's most powerful soldiers was his brother. "I need you to go and save Bijou before devil ham tries to sacrifice her." Hamtaro thought about it.
"Alright! Just come back in one piece." Kenshin nods. I still have promises to keep. I promised Kaoru's sister Misao to bring back Shade. Also I have promised Shade to fight him. If I don't do this on my own now those promises will be lost forever. I must be the one to battle this time. Kenshin attacks Shade stalling Hamtaro long enough to run to the exit. They separated.
"It's about time we fight Kenshin." Shade said. "When I swore to defeat you a sacrificed everything. Anger, pity, good and evil, and all my friends for this day. The only thing I didn't sacrifice is my sword, the Mugejin, and the only truth in the world: survival of the fittest. 'If your strong you live, if your weak you die'." Shade took another step forward with his sword in his hands. Kenshin looked him.
"You've changed. You've changed so much that I can't believe you were even my brother Aoshi."
"You've got that right. In order to defeat you I'll change into anything." Kenshin examined his aura. I can sense so much power from the outside however…
"Now let's fight Kenshin." Kenshin re-sheathes his sword and gets ready for a battoujitsu. However he pauses and takes his paw off the hilt.
"What are you doing? Are you going to go against your promise to fight."
"I will keep my promise." Kenshin responded. "But not to you. I promised my brother that I would fight him."
"What do you mean?"
"If I fight you as you are now I won't be able to keep my other promise. I promised Misao that I would bring my brother Shade back yet you are a totally different Shade. I will keep my promise but not as you are now." Shade was getting a little annoyed.
"Are you done yet? Let's finish this now."
"No."
"Quit being stubborn Kenshin!" Kenshin walked toward Shade.
"I will use the surroundings to defeat you and show you were no better than you were before. Then I'll look for a way to change you back."
"So you'll fight with a bunch of rocks?" Kenshin nodded. "This is more pathetic than I thought." Shade charges forward. Kenshin picks up a rock and hurls it at Shade. Shade catches it and charges at Kenshin but Kenshin jumps over him. Both stare at each other.
At the top of the tower…
"To think Chaos would be defeated. And Kenshin is fighting Shade. This very unexpected." devil ham said.
"Not really." Devil ham looks at Joe. "Chaos was a weakling anyway but he stopped that field hamster. And no matter who wins this battle none of them will be able to come here anyway. So its just me against Hamtaro which is more than enough."
"You're very calm."
"Would you rather see me fret and panic?" The devil ham smiled.
"Its almost time. So you should be ready Bijou." Bijou was tied to a stake struggling to get.
"I'm sure Hamtaro will be able to defeat you devil ham!" Bijou said.
"Oh we'll see." Bijou couldn't bear to see Hamtaro dead. Hamtaro.
Back to the battle Kenshin is running from Shade to get distance. Once in range…
"Hiten Mitsurugi style Do Ryu Sen." Kenshin strikes the ground to send rocks flying at Shade. I'm doing great warding off Shade. However Kenshin spoke too soon as Shade slashed all the rocks turning them into dust. Kenshin was shocked leaving him vulnerable to for Shade to strike. Kenshin put up his sword to block it but he was still surprised. Shade forced me to draw my sword.
"You've drawn your sword. Perfect. Now I can fight at full power." Shade re sheathed his sword and attacked with both sheathe and sword.
"Hiten Mitsurugi style Sou Ryu Sen Ikazuchi!" Kenshin blocked the attack but Shade unsheathed the sword and hit Kenshin's side. Kenshin doubled back as Shade charged forward. Kenshin tried blocking but the next attack hit.
"Ryu Sou Sen!" Shade performed the multi slash attack and Kenshin doubled back into the wall. Shade walked forward towards Kenshin. Kenshin knew something was coming so he put his sword straight forward in a shin ken stance to counter the attack. Shade charged forward. Just as Shade's attack was about to hit…
"Hiten Mitsurugi style Ryu Kan Sen!" Kenshin spun around Shade's initial attack and tried to perform a wide slash but it was blocked by Shade's sheathe. Kenshin was shocked at how good Shade was. Shade punched Kenshin into the wall and performed another attack.
"Hiten Mitsurugi style Kuzu Ryu Sen!" The nine beams came forward. Kenshin attempted to match the attack with his own Kuzu Ryu Sen but Shade's overpowered it and it sent Kenshin into the wall. Shade walked forward looking at his fallen enemy.
"Stand up Kenshin." Shade said. "If I remember correctly that shouldn't have been enough to kill you. Just as you said there is no point in killing you as you are now. The one I must defeat is the legendary Hitokiri Battousai within you. Only then I will prove that our family is the strongest who died fighting. For that I've thrown away everything." Shade thinks back to all the people who attempted to kill him. They were all killed without breaking a sweat. "To become the strongest I am left with no regrets even if I was sent to hell. I personally sought out the path of chaos. So now stand up Kenshin. Flip over your sakabatou and attack with everything you've got. Only then I can end my life."
Kenshin finally opens eyes. He begins to think on he is going to handle the situation. If I defeat him he will kill himself. No. He will kill himself even if I lose. Shade really has thrown away everything. The will to live, die, and fight. He's making me kill or be killed. No he could me if I don't kill him first. However… Kenshin gets up.
"You really think you can end it all by gaining the title of the strongest for our family? Shade you started a fight with this on your mind? Misao, Kaoru, Ryu, Mai, Mom, and Dad don't want your life just like this!" Kenshin is now on his feet.
"Fine then Shade. I will fight you at full power. I knew I had to defeat you, but part of me didn't want to because I knew the tragedy of our family. But seeing how your attitude won't change I've changed my mind! However I am only Kenshin a protecting rurouni (wanderer)."
"So you're gonna fight at full, but won't flip over your sword?"
"Yeah." Shade was getting really annoyed.
"How pathetic." Shade slams his sword into the wall and rocks and debris fly out. Kenshin remains calm. "How are you going to fight at full power if you're caring for your opponent's life. A sword battle is a matter of life and death! For one to die and the other to live! I've been training on the edge life and death all preparing for this day! Stop all this nonsense and try to kill me now!" Kenshin wiped the blood off his mouth.
"Training on the edge of life and death? I've done that many times myself. But one day our father showed me a ray of life which prevented me from turning into the Hitokiri Battousai."
"More nonsense?" Shade asked.
"If you want to know then come and fight me." Shade decided he was being stubborn and decided to just attack.
"Kenshin. Let's go." Shade put his sword in its sheathe and charged forward with a battoujitsu. Kenshin charged with the same. Both sword collided using power to push the other back. Kenshin was slammed into the wall but as Shade came forward he kicked him. Shade was sent staggering back, however he wasn't finished.
"Hiten Mitsurugi style Ryu Kan Sen!" Shade used the wide slash attack. However…
"Ryu Shou Sen!" Kenshin stopped right before the attack hit. Kenshin jumped into performing one of his signature moves.
"Ryu Tsui Sen!" Kenshin came down with his downward slash. Shade countered it with Ryu Shou Sen. Suddenly Kenshin let out a battle cry and slashed right through Shade's sword. Shade was shocked at what just happened. He fell to the ground breathing hard with Kenshin doing the same.
"Kenshin." Kenshin grabbed the wound on his neck he got from Shade earlier.
"Even now you're still talking nonsense." Shade got up.
"Its to early for you to celebrate. By a small margin you avoided that attack to your neck."
"But that small margin is the difference between you and me." Shade was surprised at what Kenshin said.
"When I was on the brink of life and death I brought up a power my father showed me other than self-sacrifice. 'The will to live is stronger than anything else.'" Shade kept listening to what Kenshin was saying. "As the Hitokiri Battousai I have committed many crimes that I can't repent for all of them. So I believed it didn't matter whether I died or not. But thanks to Kaoru no matter how much I'm punished I will never lose my will to live." Kenshin walked up to Shade. "Shade, you have sacrificed everything to fight me. However anyone can sacrifice everything. It's just that simple." Shade was surprised. "With your sword you've become more powerful, beyond limits. But spiritually you've become so much weaker than before."
"What do you mean?"
"Trying to prove our entire family is strong, that I can understand. However with that weakened spirit of yours, your fight for the strongest makes it a cover for you to run to your death! You're doing nothing for them!" Shade was shocked at what Kenshin was saying. "All you're doing is swinging sword full of evil and blaming everything on them." Shade was really shocked this time. Ryu, Mai, Mom, Dad.
"My spirit is weak?" Shade asked.
"Yeah" Kenshin answered. "Ryu. Mai. Mom. Dad. With you're weakened spirit you're doing nothing for them." Shade lowered his head.
"s-
"Sh-
"SHUT UP" Shade punched Kenshin into the wall. Kenshin held his stomach.
"To be so forceful with that punch. That subconsciously you know its true." Shade punched him again.
"What do you know?"
"At least I know that you know that my words has gotten to you. You'll feel guilty about their death. That is what I know." Shade punched him again.
"SHUT UP!" Kenshin fell to the floor.
"At least I know that behind the title of the strongest they'll never rest in peace." Shade saw images of his family. "Shade you- No your weakness is turning our family into evil spirits." Shade saw images again. He opened his eyes wide and was going to kill Kenshin once and for. That is Kenshin didn't catch the sword bare handed. "Shade, did you know that in your place Misao is trying to get everyone's hopes up by trying to protect our city?"
"Misao is a strong girl ham. I never liked her trying to help our cause. But I'm sure she'll be fine from now on."
"Then did you know how much she cried when I told her that I would bring her back?" Shade was once again surprised. "No matter strong you she is she's still very young. I'm sure that inside she's been depressed over this harsh reality." A vision of a girl with tan fur and large yellow ribbon tying her little braid crying. This girl is Misao. "Only you can answer her straightforward tears. And yet Shade will you still use the title of the strongest as cover to run to your death! Bring back your strong spirit! Call back the pride you lost! Time stopped when our father died and it must start again. NOW IS THE TIME TO AWAKEN SO AWAKEN NOW!" Shade sees images of his entire family dying from the Devil ham's attack on the city. Both of them pause for several minutes. Suddenly punches Kenshin into another wall. Shade has his back turned to Kenshin. Shade. Shade thinks of his family again.
"Yet I cannot continue with life without finishing our battle." Shade finally responded.
"And as for finishing our battle there are no complaints." Shade turns around with a new face. His eyes are different. They don't show any anger from before. It's been awhile since I've seen this. This hamster is the one everyone liked and the one Misao loved. My brother Shade. Shade sheathes his sword.
"No hard feelings win or lose."
"Same here." Kenshin said as he sheathes his sword as well.
"So the only thing left is to fight at our strongest." Both of them look ready to pull off their strongest attack. Its obvious what we're both using. Our styles are the same so it has to be the Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki. However because my sword is a sakabatou the attack might be slower. But…
Shade thinks of his family again. Ryu. Mai. Mom. Dad. I'm sorry. I said I was going to gain the title of the strongest for you but my own weakness made me blame everything on all of you. So now I will end here. No I will end it by winning. Shade charges forward.
"Hiten Mitsurugi style ultimate attack Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki!" Just as Kenshin is about to get hit he thinks of many things.
"Kenshin" His father said. "Never lose your will to live. That way you'll never turn into the Battousai again!"
"Its not just me and Misao" Kaoru said, a pink hamster with a pony tail tied with an oversized blue ribbon. "Everyone is cheering for you. So…" So there is only one thing to do. There is nothing to fear anymore.
"Hiten Mitsurugi style ultimate attack Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki!" Kenshin draws his sword. Light covered the entire room. When it died down Kenshin had his sword out while Shade was sent flailing in the air. When he landed a large scar can be seen across his chest as a result of the attack. Kenshin was breathing hard.
"Are you alright?" Kenshin asked.
"My body aching all over. But somehow I feel refreshed. Reborn. Thanks Kenshin."
"No problem. It feels like my body is aching all over as well. I'm sure Hamtaro can do this on his own." Shade was worried.
"Kenshin." Kenshin looked at Shade. "The last fighter is Joe. Hamtaro can't possibly beat him."
"I'm sure he will. After all he has the ryusaiga." Shade shook his head.
"Did you know that Joe defeated Hamtaro before you even got here?" Kenshin forgot about it. He was starting to believe it. "Joe also has a legendary sword. And in that battle he didn't use his Rage of Insanity: his full power." Kenshin was shocked. What if- No Hamtaro has to find out what's blocking him from using the ultimate attack. Otherwise Shade might be right.
At the top…
"NO! HOW COULD SHADE LOSE LIKE THAT!" The devil ham was now frustrated again.
"Not to worry." Devil ham looked at Joe. "Shade's feeling betrayed him making him weak. After all in the end the world is survival of the fittest. 'If you're strong you live, if you're weak you die.' Hamtaro will be stopped. Now I must go." Devil ham was surprised Joe was calm about the situation. He remembered something Shade said.
"To be defeated by your own student. I can't believe you Shade." the devil ham said in his flashback.
"It was expected anyway. The law I've engraved in his head and the his anger are his best weapons no one can stop him."
Back in the present…
"He's right. If Shade can't do it Joe will. MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
As Joe walks to the battle room several things are on his mind. Damn why is my past still getting in the way?