Author's Note: Yeah, sorry for the delay in updating, I had school and all. Well, the story takes a much darker turn from here, expect to see darker themes with each update. Shion returns in this chapter, and her dark past is revealed as well. So why don't you read on and enjoy the story.
Chapter 14: End of the Season
Time just flew by the two months that followed, the year of my story is now Western year 1866 in the month of April. After the incident I spoke of in the last segment, it was quite obvious that my services were needed in the front lines. Kenshin and I would be active in nearly every mission now. No longer would our forces have to retreat from traps and ambushes, it's because I was there. No, it wasn't me, it was her. The force that controlled me whenever I got into the heat of battle, she appeared nearly every time I fought. Within time I just gave up on trying to take back control of my body during battle, after all, the enemy had to die anyway. I eventually gave her the name my fellow troops gave me, Hitokiri Kensai. Although I hate to admit it, but she was a necessity in the Revolution, without her and my brother, the Ishin Shishi would've lost. I never grew accustomed to her violent methods though, those gruesome images still lay in my mind.
Despite being on duty nearly twenty-four-seven, I managed to adopt a somewhat cheerful attitude. Actually, it was just a mask I wore to shield everyone from the pain I suffered inside, one of three barriers I used. I felt horrible when I killed, though I never hesitated to do so. The guilt always sprang into my head after Kensai or I fought, I suppose hesitation helps take some of the guilt away. I often cried, though no one would see or hear me when I did so, I always did it when I was alone, mostly when I was in the bathhouse since there were no other female soldiers.
My second barrier was really two things, alcohol and smoking. I always had a glass of sake if I was feeling blue, it would clear my head for at least an hour. I never over-drank, luckily, so I never had a hangover or threw up in the dining hall. Sake wasn't always available so I carried Shinji's old tobacco pipe with me. The breeze of the black crop just soothed my nerves, it didn't clear my head, but for some reason, it made me feel better. At most I would take ten puffs during a day, I knew smoking was bad for the lungs after watching several fellow soldiers who smoked a lot die on the battlefield from sudden suffocation.
My third barrier was also the most effective, my brother, Kenshin. Kenshin and I were very close at this time, we knew practically everything about each other. His very presence just seemed to brighten up my day, no matter how bad I felt. He was easy to talk to, most of the time he would be the one to start up a conversation. We often spoke of our time with our original families and times we had together, but I was never able to share my true feelings for him or the pain of my guilt. How I long to tell him how I feel, how I miss losing myself in those purple-bluish eyes, his fiery red hair burning from my desire, those broad shoulders, chiseled chest, oh how I miss him. Actually, now that I think about, my brother wasn't really built, he was as scrawny as I am, but still, I love him so.
I guess the end of winter was a special day, though it began like any other. Breakfast followed by an hour of training and then Kenshin and I were on standby until we were given an assignment. I decided to take an extra thirty minutes of training that day, I was tired of always getting my ass kicked by Kenshin so I practiced with some of the other men. They weren't as skilled as my brother and I was actually able to take on ten guys at once and not get a bruise on me. I was walking up the stairs, my eyes fixed on the ground as the men who died by my sword began to flash through my mind. My eyes were covered by the curtain of my scarlet bangs, no one could tell how I was feeling, at least I thought so. For a second, I took a glance up, and lo and behold, there was my brother ahead of me, sitting in his room, looking out the window.
"Kenshin!" I quickly dashed toward the room, a smile erasing the frown on my face.
"Oh, hello, Mina," Kenshin greeted me with his usual smile.
"What are you looking at?" I asked, taking a seat by his side.
"The snow," Kenshin answered, pointing at the melting mounds of white, "it's beautiful, isn't it?"
"I guess it is," I observed every morsel seeping into the air.
I don't know what came over me next, but I just felt like I had to go out there and wallow in the icy hills. My feet quickly pushed against the floor, I was basically hovering above the ground with each step I made.
"Wait, where are you going, Mina?" were the words I heard as I sprang out the door.
Quickly, I picked a spot and lay there for a few seconds. It wasn't comfortable at first, until my arms and legs begin moving up and down making a more comfortable groove for me. Why was I doing this, it's because I was imagining burying my own grave. I just felt really depressed that day, I felt like killing myself. But I couldn't, thinking about how Kenshin might feel over the death of his little sister, so for now, this had to do. The thought of my death, it brought a smile to my face, I really wanted to die but I didn't have the courage to take my own life.
"You really enjoy the snow, don't you, Mina?" Kenshin soon arrived, that smile of his still stretched across his face.
"Hai," I answered, fixing the best fake smile I could come up with, "it's so soft and cold."
In truth, it wasn't soft, it was as hard as rock. I thought to myself that I didn't deserve a descent grave, that the one who would bury me can just throw my naked body into a ditch.
"Despite these hard times you're always so cheerful," Kenshin said unaware of my depression.
'Cheerful, if you only knew the truth, Brother...,' were the words going through my mind at the time.
"What's wrong with that?" I sat back up, that artificial grin still on my face as I spoke.
"It's nothing," Kenshin answered. "What's this?" Kenshin suddenly pulled a red object from the ground I had paved..
"A camellia," I took the flower, placing it in my hair.
'How perfect,' I thought to myself, 'a fitting oracle to my death.'
"You think the flower gives it a nice effect?" I asked for my brother's opinion.
"Hai," Kenshin answered with a simple nod, "the powder snow gives it a nice effect, that it does."
"You talk funny, Kenshin," I began to laugh.
"I know, I know," Kenshin nodded again.
I wasn't really laughing; I was crying. My thoughts continued to linger on my sins. I hid behind that mask as Kenshin sat there with me, my eyes sealed the entire time, shutting my emotions away from the world.
"Kenshin-kun, Mina-kun, come inside," Katsura interrupted a few seconds later.
By now I knew the drill, it was a meeting for our next attack. I had to pay attention, but in the state I was in that day, I didn't know if I would be able to. Again, my head sunk to the floor, Kenshin didn't seem to notice. By the time we reached the dining hall, it immediately sprang back up by a laugh I knew all to well.
"Ah ha ha ha!" I looked ahead to find the hitokiri of the Satsuma Clan, Azumi Shion.
"Shion-dono, we meet again I see," Kenshin greeted the young woman, extending his hand toward her.
"Nice to see you again, Battousai," Shion quickly took my brother's hand, giving it a small shake. "Oh, and who do we have here," Shion turned toward me, with her mask of a smile on her face, "it's nice to see you again, Himura-san, or should I say, Kensai."
"Call me whatever you wish," I said, my bangs still covering my eyes.
"Is something the matter?" the smile quickly melted away. "Well if it helps, you have grown a little bit," Shion said, obviously referring to my chest.
"Mina, what's the matter?" Kenshin finally realized my depression.
"It's nothing," I answered as I took a seat.
"I'm glad you're all here now," Saigo suddenly entered the room, taking a seat next to Katsura.
My eyes twitched to the edges of my eyes, looking for the other attendants of the meeting. There were no others, just Kenshin, Shion, and I, all three of us sitting before the leaders of the Ishin Shishi.
'What are these two going to ask of us,' I wondered, 'could we possibly be doing some kind of three-way assassination or possibly a suicide mission?'
"Allow us to begin," Katsura began his explanation, "the three of you are our top three soldiers in terms of skill. Because of our constant battles in the recent weeks, most of our men are exhausted and thus, I'm afraid we must ask you to complete a suicide mission."
"I understand," Kenshin nodded.
"Shion-kun," Saigo addressed his hitokiri after, "you and the Himuras are to severe the Shinsengumi's first squad, Okita Soushi is said to be too ill to patrol with them tonight. If you can take out at least half of their forces, our troops can have a resting period for at most a month. It is important to achieve this resting period, many of our troops are injured and need rest before returning back to the battlefield. Shion-kun, please do this favor for us."
"I shall," Shion bowed after hearing her orders.
"Mina-kun, I know that you aren't used to such extreme circumstances but I want you to do your best, is that clear?" Katsura ordered.
"...Hai," I said, my eyes still hanging to the floor.
"It is most important that you three complete this assignment," Saigo continued, "the squad's numbers must be diminished! The future of this war rests on your shoulders."
"Hai!" Kenshin and Shion bowed after as I sat in place unmoving.
"Mina-kun, is something the matter?" Katsura asked after Kenshin and Shion bowed.
"...it's nothing sir," I answered, "please excuse me," I rose from my seat, dragging my entire body as I left the room.
"Mina, wait up!" Kenshin soon chased after me.
"What do you want, Kenshin?" I asked, my voice somewhat cracked and slurred.
"Mina, something is wrong with you," I turned my head away as soon as Kenshin said this, "what is it?"
"Nothing is wrong," I answered, my face still turned away.
"Face me when you say that," Kenshin suddenly planted himself in my path.
"I said there's nothing wrong!" I glared into my brother's eyes for a second before I brushed passed him.
"Mina!" I heard the dash of his steps as he tried to follow me.
"Leave me be!" I turned back to my brother, my teeth bared and shooting another glare into his eyes.
"Gomen...," Kenshin tilted his back forward before he turned away.
I limped toward our room, slamming the shoji door shut as soon as I entered. My legs immediately gave away after I reached the center of the room. I couldn't hold it anymore, I was about to explode. My eyes just burst into tears, followed by the pathetic whine of a dog coming from my own mouth.
"You're pathetic," Kensai's voice taunted from the back of my head.
"Leave me alone," I sobbed.
"You should have quit while you were ahead, and now you're stuck in this whole mess," Kensai laughed, "you should just give up and go back to the country, little girl."
"I won't go back!" I yelled, banging my hand on the tatami. "I can't go back," I drew the shorter sword on my belt for the first time.
The glow of the sun reflected my teary eyes as I stared into it for a few seconds. I grabbed the hilt with both hands, turning the blade toward my body. I wanted to end it all, I wanted to end it in that moment, forgetting about my brother and the future world I wanted to create. It levitated in place for a few seconds, my eyes fixed on the blade's point. I could see my reflection, I could see myself, crying like a little girl, no, I was still a little girl, I did not belong here. Tired of waiting for the inevitable, I pushed the blade forward with all my might, shutting my eyes so no one, not even myself, could witness my death. The blade was only a breath away when it suddenly stopped. I pushed it once again, but it only jerked back, why had it done this? The darkness that came with my closed eyes slowly vanished, the image of someone standing before me taking it's place. Her right hand was clutching the hilt of my wakezashi, her left balled in a fist as it lay against her side. I looked to her face, it was scrunched together with a sneer, the mask of her smile was removed.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Shion screamed, taking the sword out of my hand and striking my face after.
I fell back to the floor, my cheek now throbbing and bright red. My left hand tried to soothe the pain but to no avail, it only made more tears fall with a touch. With a sigh, Shion sat next to me, placing her hand on the one resting on my cheek, that sneer now washed away with a concerned expression.
"Are you okay?" Shion asked with a serious tone in her voice. "You can't die now," Shion sighed again, turning her attention to the ceiling, "what would your brother do if you were to die? Would he cry, would he simply go on with his life if nothing happened, aren't you worried about what might happen to him?"
I simply nodded to answer the question, my head being dragged to the center of the earth after my head rose to it's peak.
"You can't take it, can you?" Shion asked. "You can't take away the guilt you have for all those you killed?"
"How did you know?" I asked, recollecting my emotions with a sniff.
"As a hitokiri you are tasked to write your role in history with crimson ink," Shion said, her head beginning to sink to the same level as mine, "and that ink... comes from your victims. This is the role Fate has given me, the role as the Grim Reaper to those I come across in battle. The pages of my destiny are written in blood, the blood of those I killed. One would think this hasn't effected me, but in truth, it has. I was a samurai's daughter before I joined the Satsuma Clan," Shion began, "I lived in a rather furnished house with my mother, my father, and my little brother, Kintaro, in Edo. My parents had tasked my brother to uphold the family's warrior spirit, I was tasked to just be a simple housewife by the time I would get married. I was supposed to be married two years ago when I was fourteen. I had a wonderful fiancé, his name was Keisuke."
"Keisuke," I immediately recognized the name, "that was the name you spoke of when I saw you crying the night before I left the Satsuma Camp."
"So you were there," Shion asked, "you saw me cry?"
"Hai," I nodded, "just as you saw me cry just now."
"Arigatou," Shion suddenly thanked me, "it's nice to know someone knows of my pain."
"Can you tell me about Keisuke?" I asked, interested in her tale.
"Keisuke was...a wonderful person," Shion continued, "he was always smiling, willing to help others out, even if it was out of his way. He was great with my ten year old little brother, the two of them got along like real brothers. Keisuke was a year older than me, he always had a crush on me, just as I had one on him. We knew each other since childhood, our families lived next to each other. He proposed to me on my fourteenth birthday and of course, I said yes at the first opportunity. It was also that same year that this war began, Father was called to assist the Bakufu in here in Kyoto. My family and I would never see him again after he left, he was killed in battle by a group of bandits. Our family name was ruined after learning this, the other families had turned their backs on us. Keisuke was the only one to stay by my side, although his parents disapproved of it. His family couldn't bare to see their son hang around the daughter of a disgraced samurai family, they even turned their backs on his proposal to me. And then it happened during the month of December, it was the middle of the night, Keisuke had decided to sleep over, telling his family he was going to a friend's house instead. It was a wonderful evening, Keisuke had, well, I don't want to speak of it, it's somewhat embarrassing, but as we slept in the comfort of my futon, there was a loud crash coming from the kitchen. I decided to check things out and there was Keisuke's family along with some members of other samurai families, each them bearing arms and torches. I took my naginata resting on the nearby wall, ready to defend my home and I was engaged in combat. I wasn't very skilled then, I was barely even able to defend myself, I always found myself falling to the floor after my naginata caught an attack. Some time during the fight, I lost sight of Keisuke's father, and he went for a stab from behind. Keisuke suddenly appeared and pushed me out of the way, taking the blade into himself. Mother and Kintaro finally realized what was going on, now that the smell of smoke was quite abundant in the house. They ordered me to take Keisuke and run, to escape while we could. I should've stayed, but instead, I ran, dragging Keisuke with me. We were far from the city before I knew it, Keisuke wasn't doing so well, I knew a doctor wouldn't be able to save him. I swore that I would get revenge, that I'd kill the ones who did this to Keisuke and I, I swore I wouldn't rest until justice had been served, but it was then that Keisuke told me his last words. 'Be strong, Shion, no matter what happens, always remain as you are now.' And with that, he died in my arms, his body now just an empty shell resting on my lap. I contemplated suicide many times, just as you have, but I wouldn't because the thought of someday reuniting with him through reincarnation always went through my mind before each attempt. Mina, do you see now why I fight, why I wear the mask of happiness in front of others? I live so that I may avenge Keisuke and my family, so that I can destroy a government that started this whole 'honor' system. I live so I can honor Keisuke's last words, to continue living as the woman I was before all of this. I live...so that my family's death won't be in vain!" I noticed a crack in her voice as she said this, her eyes covered by the hair over her bandana.
Her hands were balled into fists, as if she were wringing the neck of one of those samurai who burned her house. Her teeth were bared, scraping against each other from side to side, creaking as they did so. Clear rivers poured down her cheeks, slowly falling to the tatami below in single drops. I don't think I had ever seen her like this, I pitied her, my hate for her had vanished in that instant, replaced with admiration for her courage and will to go on. I had met someone who was more depressed than I, yet stronger than myself.
"Shion," I spoke after the moment of silence, "do you...know what happened to the rest of your family?"
"No," Shion shook her head, "for all I know, they were killed as I escaped with Keisuke. I hadn't set foot in Edo since."
"I see," I turned back to the floor.
"You are the only one I have ever told this story to," Shion continued, "will you keep this story away from the ears of others?"
"Hai," I answered, "I will."
"Himura-san," Shion placed her hand on my cheek afterward, "you have a reason to live after this war, you still have someone to go back to, I have no one. I'm sure your brother thinks the same, that's probably why he continues to live, so he can live the rest of his life with you, to live in a war free of corruption and bloodshed."
The words had touched me, but then again, many have during my time here. I already had one reason to fight, to make a safe world for the children, but another was now added to my list, so I can live in that world with Kenshin. Another reason came into mind after, my mother. It was a season before this incident that she died, killed in order to save my life. Those Mibu Wolves took my mother away from me and those Bakufu bullied my father when he was still alive. I have to live because they died for me. Those are my three reasons for which I live, the reasons I still stand on this earth.
"Arigatou, Shion," I nodded, "to give me such kind words, you're not as bad of a person that I thought you were, that you aren't."
"Continue to live, Himura-san," Shion told me as I rose from my seat, "but for me, once this war is over, my reason to live is over."
I thought I had to say some words of comfort for her, but none came into mind. All I could say was...
"Shion, live in the era that we are to create," I said, my back turned to her as I spoke, "live so you can continue to fulfill Keisuke's last wish and for your family, they died so you can live after all."
"I don't think I can do that, Himura-san," Shion said, "my will to live diminishes day after day, I will die before this new era is born, I know it."
But Shion did live, she saw the new world, but through different eyes.
As soon as I left the room, I found my brother waiting for me, his back pressed against the far wall and his arms crossed above his stomach. He had that serious look, he always wore it whenever he was concerned for someone or angry about something.
"Are you willing to talk now?" Kenshin looked up, a smile not stretching across his face as it usually would.
"There's no need," I told Kenshin, walking passed him as I spoke.
"I see," Kenshin turned back toward the floor.
"But when this is all over," I turned back for a second, "we'll talk."
The rest of the day went by as it usually did. Well..., not really. I hadn't spoke to Kenshin after that, I don't know why. He stood in that corner the entire time, shutting his eyes and bringing himself into his own little world. He must've still been concerned about me, although I wasn't feeling bad anymore. Every time I passed down that hall during the day, he was there, his head tilted toward the ground and his arms crossed. Our Red String must've been unwinding, pulling us apart, at least for that moment. Shion hadn't come out of my room either, I think she was still crying so I didn't want to intrude. I spent the rest of the day training with the other soldiers, none of them on par with mine, or my brother's skills. It took an eternity for the evening to arrive, I was ready for this. I was waiting for Kenshin and Shion in the inn's entrance, I was so bored while waiting I was contemplating going off on my own. Kenshin arrived first, he still had that serious look, he didn't even look at me when he arrived. Something was definitely on his mind, but I was too afraid to ask. Shion came about a minute later, wearing her mask of happiness again as she arrived.
"Well, shall we go?" Shion asked upon arrival, a smile perched on her face.
"The first squad is said to be patrolling near the Kyoto Tower tonight," Kenshin said, his eyes fixated on the pagoda to the north, "we will go there and exterminate as many as we can. Stealth is the upmost importance, so try to use the shadows to your advantage."
"Let's go," Shion began to make her way toward the tower.
"Kenshin," I stopped my brother before he took a step further, "are you angry with me for not telling you what was wrong with me?"
"I'm not angry," Kenshin answered, his eyes fixated on the sky instead of me, "it's nothing really."
He ran after Shion after that, leaving me behind. I pondered for a few moments what could've been wrong with him. It most definitely could've been because I blew him off earlier or maybe it was something else going through his mind. Actually, there was something I missed a little while ago, his eyes, they weren't their usual color. Bright yellow, the same color as her's, my brother had an alter ego of his own, Hitokiri Battousai, that must've been him, but why has he appeared? I didn't want to waste time think anymore about this, so I simply ran after Kenshin and Shion.
The looming structure of Kyoto Tower blocked the moon's glow, the illumination of the stars were also neutralized by it's shadow. Nothing but black lay before our eyes, though you can hint where things were for there would be silhouettes for all things that moved. I jumped at the first silhouette I saw, my left arm hooking across the Wolf's neck and my hand slapping against his jaw and nose as I slid my katana out of it's sheath. The steel slid across the crease in his neck, a warm puddle spilled onto my left palm as I released the corpse. My palm was now glowing a bright ruby color, luckily I had a rag in my pocket and wiped it away. I looked ahead and saw two silhouettes striking two other, geysers of red emitting after. Kenshin, or should I say, Battousai, and Shion did their work. They moved along soon after as I did the same. I lined my back against the nearest corner, sliding to the west, waiting for another silhouette to appear. Even in this darkness it was hard to see the sky blue coats of Mibu, I saw nothing but black everywhere I turned. I took a peak out of the corner where I stood, there was nothing, but I did hear steel sliding out of oak, it was coming from close by. As soon as I turned the corner, there was a Wolf, his fangs bared and ready to strike.
"Shit!" I cursed as I dove away from the attack.
"Over here, I found someone!" the Wolf called for his allies.
I was soon surrounded by the rest of the pack, they had brought their torches with them, along with their blades already drawn. Their narrow eyes lay everywhere I turned, those sky blue coats were as bright as ever, each step I took always brought me closer to one Wolf so I stood in my place, my hand tightening the grip on my katana's scabbard.
"What do we have here?" one of the Wolves pushed his way through the pack. "You're an awfully pretty one," he said as his hand held up my chin, "it would be a waste to kill you now."
"Take your hand off me, dog!" I spat in the man's face.
"You bitch!" the man backed away as he wiped away the saliva. "Kill her already!"
The first victim of the night lunged forward from behind, the whistling of his blade slicing air echoed through my ear the instant he moved. I spun toward him, my blade drawing in the same direction of the spin. The steel aligned itself with one of his ribs, conjoining the Wolf and my blade. I turned back to where I originally faced, there was another Wolf, his blade coming from above, highlighting the curve of the moon. I swung the corpse attached to my blade to my opponent's, the steel crashing against his shoulder. I pushed my sword forward, plunging the blade deeper enough that it went through him and into the gut of the attacking Wolf. Quickly, I pushed both corpses back toward the crowd, each one falling in a line like a row of dominoes. I planted the tip of my blade against the earth, slowly slitting the earth's rocky skin as I brought my sword upward.
"Do-Ryu-Sen!" I screamed as the debris impaled itself against nearly half the Wolves who fell. "Ryu-Kan-Sen!" I quickly spun around to catch the next Wolf behind his neck with my blade.
I pushed the blade even further, pushing all my weight into the blade until scarlet fluid erupted from a newly formed crater at the top of his neck. The skull flew forward toward another's face, knocking him to the ground in the process. I flew in the same direction after, my blade leading the way as it found it's way to his heart. I pried the steel slab out quickly, just in time to catch the next attack coming from in front of me. Playing cheap, I grabbed the shorter sword resting on his belt as our blades were locked and plunged it into his own belly. He fell shortly after as I left the wakezashi in it's rightful place just as the rest of the pack began to close in on me. Pushing my feet against the earth with all my might, I was catapulted toward the heavens, hovering over the mighty Kyoto Tower. My levitation was quickly cut short as I was dropping back to the ground. I held my sword before me slicing the wind before it sliced through another Wolf's skull, the red liquid engulfing itself in my face in the process.
"Ryu-Tsui," I screamed before I slid my blade against the throat of the nearest enemy, "Shou-Sen!" The blade cleaved through half the man's skull, sending his visage into the air as the giant hole where it once lay spray even more liquid onto my body.
I caught the next steel slab with my with the inner curve of my blade as I recovered from my attack, but I failed to notice the one coming from behind. I felt the cold metal swipe at my back, making me stagger forward in the process. Another feel of metal rushed through my body after, now in my left arm, cutting downward, slipping out of my muscle before it reached my elbow. I found myself on the stone-paved ground now, wading in a pool of my own life.
"Not now...," I grumbled as I used my strong arm to push me back up. "Argh!" my face was pulled back to the ground thanks to one of the Wolves' feet pushing down on the back of my head.
"It'd be a waste to kill such a pretty thing," I heard as the crimson pool made it's way toward my face.
"We'll have to do it eventually," I heard another Wolf comment, "but let's have a little fun with her before she dies."
My hair was suddenly balled up into the hands of one of the Wolves', pulling my face upward but leaving my body flat against the floor. My eyes were sealed with already dried blood, I couldn't see anything, not that I wanted to, I didn't want to witness my death, especially a horrible one such as this.
'As soon as I found reasons to live, I have to die,' I thought as my consciousness began to diminish.
"Stop this right now!" I soon heard my brother's yell.
"What's this?" my face suddenly fell back to the ground, creating a stream of red from my temple.
"It's the Battousai!" I heard one of the soldiers.
"Get away from my sister!" Kenshin's yell grew stronger as I began to push myself away from the ground again.
As soon as I got back up, I began to rub my eyes to break the seal over them. As soon as I opened them, they were splashed with red again. I quickly wiped away the residue, only to have more splashed onto my body. This was my brother's doing, he was putting his god-like speed to full use, I only caught a blur going back and forth with each geyser of crimson that erupted. However, one was able to catch my brother, grabbing a ball of his hair and pulling him forward. Kenshin dropped his sword once this happened, trying to kick away like a little child as he was pulled upward and the enemy's blade being drawn to his neck in the process. I decided that I'd try and return the favor, grabbing my sword off the ground and blindly charging. Instead of finding the Wolf, I found the ground and a throbbing pain in my stomach after.
"Damn!" I coughed, a river of crimson flowing from my mouth before I spoke.
The blade slowly began to slide across Kenshin's neck and then a splash of red followed, although it didn't come from my brother. The Wolf suddenly fell into the ruby pool, his face flat against it just as my brother landed on his feet. I quickly ran toward the three after, all three of his pressing against each other's backs as the enemy began to close in again.
"There's too many of them!" I told Kenshin and Shion as I held my blade closely.
"They're all just victims," Kenshin said suddenly, dragging his sword against the ground, "Do-Ryu-Sen!" his sword swung upward, a barrage of gravel plunging into each man in the sword's direction.
The way he spoke, I knew then that this definitely wasn't my brother. I simply observed the rest of the battle unfold. I watched the next victim that fell before Battousai, the Wolf's arm being sliced off and then Battousai's blade plunging into his heart after. That wasn't the end though, he stuck the blade into the Wolf's skull, pulling out an oval-like organ and then throwing it to the floor, smashing it with his foot after, the juices spraying everywhere. The next Wolf that tried to attack was dealt a worse fate, Battousai quickly plunged his blade through the man's side, twisting it slowly as the blade began making it's way to the other end of the torso, spinning it's way there. I saw the grimace on the Wolf's face as his organs and muscles were blended together until the blade removed them all once it reached the other side. Battousai's actions were just as violent as Kensai's, I was afraid of him just as much as I was of her. I closed my eyes for the remainder of the battle, the lullaby of screams and chopping flesh filled my ears in exchange for the bloody sights. When they had finally died down, I saw Battousai standing there, his head hung in shame. No, it wasn't Battousai, it was my brother, Kenshin.
"Kenshin...?" I took a step forward, my hand slowly reaching out to him.
"I...," Kenshin muttered suddenly.
"It wasn't you," I assured him, "it was Battousai."
"Mina, how did...?" Kenshin slowly brought his head up to face me.
"Those men I murdered at the inn a few months ago," I brought up the gruesome incident once more, "they weren't killed by me, but by her, Kensai. I know what you're going through, Kenshin, there is another person inside your body, a person who isn't really you. I know this, Kenshin, I know..."
"Nani?!" Kenshin's eyes quickly averted to the sidelines.
"Shion!" I noticed she was kicking one of the remaining Wolves.
"Shion-san, stop!" the Wolf begged.
"Stop?!" Shion spat. "Did you stop when you burned down my house?! Did you stop when you killed my family?! Why should I stop?!" Shion kicked the man again.
"Shion, stop it!" I ordered.
"No," Shion glared back at me, "this is one of the men who participated in Keisuke's death, I won't let him off easy!"
"Shion, just kill him already," I ordered again not wanting to see another gruesome sight.
"I'll kill you, you bastard!" Shion grabbed a handful of the man's hair, slamming his face into the ground after. "I'll kill you, kill you, kill you, kill you!" Shion said with each bang.
The man's face was so scrunched together after, it was black, blue, and red all over. Only specks of white lay where his eyes were, his face was too swollen for them to open fully. His nose was flat against his face, and gaps that were able to fit five teeth was now apparent on his face. Shion threw the man's face into the ground once more, kicking him afterward.
"Are you done, Shion-dono," Kenshin asked, trying to pull her attention away from the Wolf, "I think he's suffered enough, that he has, please just..."
"I'm not through yet!" Shion grabbed her naginata. "I want you to feel a lot of my pain when you die! I want you to feel the pain of my Akai Chi Naginata Ryu. You should feel honored, I barely use the techniques of this martial art style. I think I know the perfect technique for you, you're about to go to hell aren't you, you son of a bitch?! Why don't you see the devils before you die? Now stand up!" Shion suddenly ordered. "I said stand up!" Shion kicked the man a few seconds later.
The man staggered to his feet, barely even able to stand, I'm sure he was just about ready to collapse.
"Akai Chi Ryu, Mamano-Arashi!" Shion yelled.
What I saw next was unbelievable. She had began circling the man at least thirty times in a second, her naginata slicing random parts of his body as she spun. The man still stood there in place until Shion stopped before his eyes, her naginata resting against her shoulder as she stood. In the next second, rivers of crimson began to flood from all over his body. It started with his legs, they sprayed a little and then they suddenly separated themselves from the torso. The arms were next, the same substance oozing from their base before the limbs fell, cords hanging from the craters as well. More fluid fell from the torso itself, random lines of red seeped through his outfit, until it just burst open, revealing sphere-like structures inside, most of them shaped more like beans than spheres. The man was somehow still alive after all this, Shion knew this. She grabbed the cords and pulled the man to a nearby step on the temple, slamming the cords back down after she was done.
"Bite the step," Shion suddenly ordered the dying man.
"Shion, this is too much!" I yelled trying to plead for the man's life.
"Bite the fucking step!" Shion yelled at the man, pointing her naginata at the back of the man's skull.
I couldn't believe my eyes when he actually obeyed. The worst was yet to come. Pulling her foot upward, Shion had it crash down on the back of the man's head, his teeth seeping into his gums and suddenly reappearing outside the man's temple, along with puddles of scarlet and pieces of some kind of gray organ hanging at the tips of the teeth. Shion stood there after, not an expression on her face, staring down coldly onto the corpse. She stood there for a few seconds, Kenshin holding on to me tightly as we observed her. He was as scared as I was, and this was Shion we were observing, not some other soul inside her body.
"Well, shall we get going?" Shion asked after a few moments, her usual smile stretched across her face as she spoke.
It was rather disturbing how Shion could just brutally kill someone and act as if nothing happened after the act was done. There was not a sign of guilt on her face as she left, not a difference in the way she walked. I just couldn't understand how she felt guilty for killing anyone who had nothing to do with her parents' death but still not feel a thing for those who did. I assumed that man was probably related to Keisuke, someone who could've been her brother or cousin-in-law, someone who could've been a part of her family if her fiancé had not died.
When we returned to the inn, Kenshin and I quickly had our wounds checked. My arm wasn't in that bad of a condition actually, the cut missed all my arteries and veins and major muscles, I was lucky. My back wasn't so bad either, it wasn't very deep. Kenshin had only sustained a few minor cuts on his back, all which could heal within a week.
"Kenshin, thank you for saving me," I said as he wrapped the wound on my arm.
"It's okay," Kenshin smiled, "you don't need to thank me. For once I'm actually glad Battousai was in control, I'm not sure if I could've saved you with all those men around."
"And I'm sorry for blowing you off earlier," I apologized for my earlier actions.
"Don't worry about it, Mina," Kenshin said as he finished wrapping my arm, "there are just some things you want to keep to yourself and I understand that."
"Arigatou," I thanked him again.
"You had me worried," Kenshin sighed after.
"Gomen," I apologized.
"When you were attacked by those Wolves," Kenshin continued, "I didn't even want to think what would happen if Battousai hadn't made it in time. You mean a lot to me, that you do," Kenshin said as he swept hair away from my face, "I just can't help but worry about you each time we go into battle. You worry me when you don't talk to me. Oh, I'm sorry, now I'm just ranting away, aren't I?" Kenshin suddenly stopped, putting on his usual laugh after.
"Don't worry, Kenshin," I assured him, "you're just looking out for me, that's all. I mean, it is your job as my older brother, isn't it?"
"You're right," Kenshin nodded.
The next thing he did surprised me. I stood there frozen as his face slowly approached mine. His lips lead the way as they pressed against my cheek for a mere second, pulling away in the same second after the impact it made on my heart. My heart was skipping beats after he kissed me, I sat there frozen as his lips stretched back into a smile.
"Good night, Mina," he said as he headed to his futon, "sleep well, Little Sister."
'Did that really happen?' I asked myself in my head, placing my hand over my cheek. 'Oh my God, it just did! Oh yeah, I'll be his wife within a year at this rate! This calls for a celebration!' I quickly made my way toward the kitchen after.
As soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs, there was Shion, sitting at the nearest table, her hands on her lap and eyes closed. She was acting in her womanly manner as usual, just sitting there as I made my way toward the kitchen, not saying a word as I passed. It was when I returned with a bottle of sake that she said something.
"Aren't you going to ask me why I killed that man so brutally and not have a shred of pity while I kill others and feel guilt?" Shion said as she sat there in her womanly manner.
"Yeah, why is that?" I asked, pouring myself a glass of sake.
"I hate killing those who aren't involved," Shion answered, "those that have nothing to do with what happened back in Edo don't deserve their fates."
"But if you plan on taking down the Shogunate, the ones responsible for the creation of samurai families, then doesn't that mean all those you've kill are involved?" I asked, taking a sip of my glass after.
"...I don't know," Shion answered, her eyes slowly opening, "excuse me then...," Shion left her seat suddenly.
Could it have been my words that made her leave? I don't know, they were just things I just kind of blurted out. I regret telling her those words today, unfortunately. I should've known that sometimes, you just have to keep your mouth shut.
Chapter 14 Liner Notes
About camellia flowers- The camellia are signs of omen in Japanese society. When you see one fall from it's branch before your eyes, it means that something will happen to you soon. When you see someone step on two camellias consecutively, it means that you're going to die soon. Yet camellias aren't always used for omens, they're given to loved ones as gifts and also used to decorate one's funeral. Basically their the roses of Japanese society.
What's the Akai Chi Naginata Ryu?- This is Shion's fighting style, like Kenshin and Mina's style is the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Shion's is the Akai Chi Naginata Ryu. The English translation of 'Akai Chi Naginata Ryu' is 'Red Earth Naginata Style'. The attack Shion used on the man was the skill called 'Mamano-Arashi' which translates to 'Devil Tempest'. Basically, the 'Mamano-Arashi' is an attack that has Shion spin around her opponent with somewhat god-like speed and has her randomly strike different areas of her target's body. There are six more techniques in the Akai Chi Naginata Ryu, all of which will be seen in later chapters.
(Next time: "In this dark world, I have finally found the light, shined down upon from a woman known as Himura Mina. Yet the shadows begin to cloud this light, and there is nothing I can do to stop this, I must trust the light to defeat the shadows..." -Azumi Shion)
Author's Note: Well, how was it? Too violent, or just right, if it's a problem, just tell me and I'll tone it down for later chapters. So why don't you leave me a review, but not a flame, it'll make my day. Anyway, I think I told you in the last chapter that I'm making a site to put up the uncut version of this fic. Well, it's up now, but no stories are posted, just summaries of this fic and other fics I'm planning on writing, as well as some of the background info on some characters in this fic. Anyway, the site is http://xenomark.neohybrid.com, I'll be posting up the uncut versions of all my stories on that site. Only specific chapters have been edited for fanfiction.net, let me tell you ahead of time that chapter 16 will be edited for posting, the uncut chapter 16 will be posted on my site. I'll tell you readers ahead of time if a chapter's been edited or not. I guess that's it then, later!