Author's Note: Whoa, two updates in one week, that's a miracle considering my usual hectic schedule. Anyway, I don't have much to talk about really but, I could use some more reviews people, I need to know if people are enjoying this fic. The lack of reviews is getting to me, I'm not able to write as much as I used to, but regardless of such, I am going to complete this fic, along with it's sequels. Yeah, you read right, sequels, three to be exact. I'll speak more of them later, anyway, in today's update, a villain from the RK series makes her appearance here, find out who it is by reading on.
Chapter 15: Stepping Away From the Shadow
Our suicide mission was a success. The forces of the Ishin Shishi were able to go through an entire month without any major fighting, a welcome pace for Kenshin and I. My arm had healed up within two weeks, it was as good as new once I removed the bandages. Kenshin and I took advantage of this time, we were able sit back and enjoy a glass of sake every day or so, spending time as if we were a real family. Shion on the other hand, she had not done a thing during the entire vacation. She had not left with the Satsuma Clan day after the mission, instead she sat in one of the corner rooms of the inn, her eyes fixated on the far wall as her knees lay flat against the tatami and her hands tucked a few inches away from her thighs. Shion always looked as if she was deep in thought, never leaving her room other than to use the bathroom or eat, and even when she ate, she still had that serious look on her face. I'll have to admit it, I was pretty worried about her. I guess I considered her a friend of some sort back then, it was only natural that I would worry, but every time I tried to talk with her, she only responded with silence, her lips sealed together and her eyes fixed in front of her, staring blindly into space. No one was able to speak with her, she just sat there in the center of her room, not saying a word, not moving a muscle.
I would speak more of Shion but it is time that I move on with my story. I had just exited Shion's room after trying to speak with her again, and as usual, I didn't get a response.
"Mina," I found my brother waiting outside the room wearing that serious expression on his face.
"What is it, Brother?" I asked.
"Head to the dining hall," Kenshin ordered, "we're having a meeting about tonight's operation."
"Understood," I nodded, making my way to the dining hall.
It had been a while since I had to sit in on one of these mission briefings, it felt rather odd to sit down at the table and not be served any food. Didn't matter though, that feeling slowly disappeared when the briefing began.
"Is everyone here now?" Katsura asked as soon as Kenshin and I found our seats. "Good, now let's begin. Our spies have gotten word that reinforcements from the Bakufu are coming from Edo, they will arrive at Osaka Bay within two days."
"This assignment doesn't seem to be too tough," Tetsu bragged, "if we have Kenshin and Mina aboard their ship then..."
'Why must people think so highly of me?' I asked myself. 'How could the others look up to me as a hero? All I am is someone who's good at killing, how can they consider me a hero because of this?'
"We can't allow that," Katsura interrupted, "there's more to this mission than the arrival of reinforcements. The entire Shinsengumi is on the move tonight, it is unsafe for us to go to Osaka with the Wolves prowling through the streets. What we will do is have a majority of our forces attack the Shinsengumi squads directly as a small platoon of Cho Shu and Satsuma troops head to Osaka while the Shinsengumi's attention is averted. We'll need some volunteers for the platoon, is there anybody who will participate in this assignment?"
No one in the room raised their hand, this mission was another suicide attack, I'm sure everyone was afraid to take it. Everyone sat there for a few moments, the entire room was quiet and unmoving. An arm finally raised, it was right next to me.
"I shall participate," Kenshin rose his arm.
"Me too," I rose mine after.
"We can't allow the both of you to go unfortunately," Katsura told us, "it is best that we have one Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu user on both sides to make up for troops we may lose."
"I understand," Kenshin lowered his arm, "then, I shall stay."
"Is there anyone else who will volunteer to be in the platoon?" Katsura called to the rest of the troops.
"I will accompany Himura-san!" a voice we haven't heard for the longest time suddenly entered everyone's ears.
"Shion?" I turned to the other side of the hall to find the hitokiri dressed for battle.
"I'll go too," Tetsu raised his hand next.
More hands began to raise, blocking my view of Shion as she stood there. The mask of happiness was again on her face, her lips stretched from ear to ear and her eyes closed because of her grin. Her mouth began to move suddenly, moving to the motion of words. Her lips read 'Arigatou, Mina'.
The meeting was over soon after, Kenshin and I had remained in the hall while the others left. I was rather surprised that he withdrew his decision, Kenshin was often the one who took the more dangerous assignments, but this time, he was allowing me to take his place.
"Brother Kenshin, why did you change your mind?" I asked as I lit the pipe Shinji had given me.
"I don't know, Mina," Kenshin answered, "maybe because I think you have to prove yourself."
"Prove myself?" I was left puzzled by his words.
"I enjoy having you by my side when I fight, that I do," Kenshin said, "but you can't always be there to help me and I can't always be there to help you, that I can't. Mina, there is a time when one must walk on their own two feet and to take their own path, it's time that you begin to tread that path."
"So you're saying you don't want me by your side anymore?" my head began to sink toward the floor.
"I'm not saying that," Kenshin assured me as he placed his hand under my chin, "what I'm saying is that when this is all over I will...," he began to trail away.
"Will what?" I asked as I took a puff of my pipe.
"Never mind," Kenshin suddenly stopped. "Let's just say that, my revolution may be beginning soon."
With that, he left the room. His revolution, I had no clue what he spoke of. Could it be the revolution in his heart, or a conflict he is yet to resolve with another person? His revolution, would later become the trigger of mine, a revolution in which..., no, it's too soon to speak of it, I shall speak of it later.
I had remained in the hall taking in a few more breaths of tobacco, thinking about my brother's revolution. I hadn't thought about it for very long, I stopped once I took in all of the black crop into my lungs. I was about to leave, but then Shion suddenly entered, her mask no longer on face, but now lay a visage I had never seen. Her cheeks were filled with pink, her eyes barely shut and her lips somewhat stretched and her entire head pointed to the floor. She didn't seem sad, she seemed a bit embarrassed about something.
"Is something the matter, Shion?" I asked as her finger slid across the palm of her other hand.
"I, um, just wanted to thank you," Shion said with her eyes still shut and her finger circling her palm.
"For what?" I asked.
"Those words you said a month ago," Shion continued her doodling, "and for being concerned for all this time."
"Don't mention it," I said, patting her shoulder as I began to make my way out of the room.
"Wait, Mina-san," Shion called after me, calling me by my first name for the first time.
"What is it?" I turned back.
"There's something that I have to tell you," Shion said, her eyes open now, but her face even pinker than before, "it's..."
"This isn't like you, Shion, that it isn't," I told her, "just what exactly is on your mind?"
"Oh never mind," Shion suddenly turned away, her hands lined against her cheeks as she spoke, "it's just good to see that your leaving your brother's shadow for once."
"His shadow?" I didn't understand.
"Yes, his shadow," Shion repeated herself, her back still turned. "You're always with him, are you not? You're always together, Battousai and Kensai, the siblings of the sword, I think it's about time you stepped away from being the wakezashi of the daisho."
"I still don't understand what you're saying," I was even more confused.
"Simply put, your brother is the stronger of you two," Shion explained, "making you the weaker one, no offense. You're his sidekick, the clean up crew, he takes the lead in battle and you simply follow, that's why you're his shadow. Now you leave his shadow for the first time you officially joined the Cho Shu Clan, treading down your own path. It's about time, don't you think so? Well, I'll see you later," Shion waved before she left.
In my brother's shadow, Shion did have a point, that she did. I was always by his side during battle, but I only did that because I didn't want anything like that Saito incident to happen again. But I was weak then, my skills have greatly improved now and I was sure that by that point, I could stand on my own, but I would find out soon enough.
Night fell more quickly than usual. This was the first time I had to lead a squad of my own, the first of many. It was cold outside, but it wasn't freezing, it was just the evening breeze. It was stronger than it usually was, I'm sure that if you let go of a fan in that wind, it would fly into the stars and be lost there for all eternity. Wherever we walked, I could feel the ground tremble, trembling from the steps of the Mibu Wolves. Katsura wasn't kidding, they were everywhere. Every corner we looked around, there was a pack or two. This assignment was one of patience, we had to wait for the rest of the Ishin Shishi to make their move first before we could move out. We hid the shadows of the inn as we waited for our time. The plan for distraction was simple, the other Ishin Shishi would attack a random squad and that would result in the other squads coming to reinforce their troops. The Ishin Shishi would then try and lose the Shinsengumi in the bamboo forest leading to the Satsuma Camp. Luckily, we have set up various traps in the forest and it's layout is pretty much like a maze, so it would be difficult for them to find their way to the camp. If they were to find the camp, they would be greeted by an entire squad of marksmen, each equipped with the latest weaponry from the West.
The distraction began sooner than anticipated. I heard the howl of one of the Wolves after the scent of ash had entered my nose. The Wolves began to move toward the fire, that was our chance.
"Let's go!" I ordered my men.
We all ran closely together, our feet pushing us a great distance with each step. The path was clear of Wolves and we were now free to leave the city. In no time we were already in the trade route, all of us already worn out and hunched to the floor. Everyone had made it somehow, but this was only the beginning unfortunately.
"I hope we don't have to do anything like that again," Shion spoke as she tried to catch her breath.
"We might," I told her, looking toward the direction of our destination, "all right everybody, there's no time to waste, we're heading to Osaka right now."
"Mina-san, give us a little break, will you?" Tetsu said as he sat on the ground.
"We can't afford to take a break," I told him as I pulled him to his feet, "it's better that we head to Osaka sooner so we can devise exactly how to sink the Bakufu reinforcements. I'm sure someone there will know exactly how many ships are coming and which dock they'll arrive on."
"You're probably right," Tetsu agreed, "we better move then."
"We'll take it easy as we move," I informed my men, "we'll simply jog the rest of the way and walk if you get tired. Let's move!" I ordered taking the lead again.
After leading my own group of men for at least five minutes, I already hated being a leader. I hated how I had to bark orders and tell everyone to move and stuff, it seemed rather repetitive. I had to do it though, I couldn't back down from my position, everyone was depending on me. Everyone still depends on me, being a leader is the hardest thing to do. I'm always the one who has to comfort everyone, to keep the spirits up, so much is expected of me. It's pretty stressful, but as I said before, I can't back down.
We arrived in Osaka sooner than expected, it must've taken about an hour or two. The city was pretty dark, just like Kyoto, but something was missing; violence. Not a clatter of steel or cry for help, it was complete silence. I thought at first something was wrong, but seeing how everyone else had remained calm, there was no need for me to draw my sword. It seemed best to check in at an inn of some sort, but I wasn't tired, and none of my men seemed to be either.
"Mina-san," Shion got my attention soon after arrived. "What's that over there?" she asked as she pointed toward the ocean.
"Stay here, I'll check it out," I ordered my men.
Using the god-like speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, I was able to run toward the docks more quickly. Arriving at the nearest dock, I was able to catch a glimpse of several large wooden structures heading in our direction, each bearing a flag with three sakura petals aligned with each other on the banner. There was no doubt about it, those ships were the Bakufu's reinforcements.
"Che, they've arrived sooner than Katsura thought," I spat as the ships began to slowly inch forward.
I took a small step back, twisting my body in the opposite direction. I took another step, quickly followed by another, then the third came more quickly. I had lost count after that step, my men growing with each step I took, eventually returning to their normal size once I had gotten close enough.
"Himura-san, what's wrong?" Tetsu asked.
"They're already here," I informed everyone, my entire body being dragged to the floor as I spoke, "the Bakufu have arrived sooner than Katsura expected!"
"So what should we do, Himura-san?" one of my men asked as I tried to catch my breath.
'Damn, now what am I supposed to do?!' I thought to myself as my teeth began to grind against each other. 'I can't just think up a strategy just like that. Well I better think of something before they arrive. There are three ships and I'm pretty sure those ships have more men than I have in this platoon. I could probably sink one of the ships with my Do-Ryu-Sen once they dock, and that should lessen their troops by one-third, but I don't think that will even the number of troops. There aren't any cannons or anything else around so that's out. And I don't want to board their ships when we're out to sea, that's too risky. Dammit, what am I supposed to do?!'
"Mina-san, they're about to dock!" Shion suddenly informed me.
'Shit!' I bit down on my teeth harder. 'I guess I got no choice now.'
"Okay everyone, here's the plan," I informed my troops, thinking up a strategy as I spoke. "We'll hide in the shadows of the buildings close by and allow them to dock. Then I'll sink one of their ships with my Do-Ryu-Sen, but that will blow our cover. After that, we'll have to fight them head on."
'Oh God, like this isn't going to work,' I mentally kicked myself after informing everyone of my strategy.
"Get into your positions!" I ordered after.
My men listened without hesitation, they must've thought that this strategy was going to work since they all seem to look up to me. I found a spot in the corner of a warehouse, along with about five of my men, one of them being Shion.
"Mina-san, do you know what you're doing?" Shion asked as I pushed part of my blade out of it's sheath.
"Not really," I admitted, "personally, I think this is suicide, I only said what first came into mind, that's all. We're probably going to die, but we might as well take out as much as we can before we die, right?"
"I suppose," Shion said as she drew her naginata, "if we are to cross the Sanzu, we should bring some friends along with us."
At that very moment, the ships had docked at the harbor. As soon as the anchor was thrown, that's when I moved. I slid the rest of my sword out of it's case as I dashed toward the large wooden structure, the steel slab slicing through the ground quickly after.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Do-Ryu-Se...what the?!" I suddenly stopped.
Something else was going on now, it seemed as if shadows were falling from the sky and onto the ships. My men and I stood there as puddles of darkness began to sweep through the ships. I had no idea what was going on, but then came the clashing of steel and symphony of screams.
"What the hell is going on?!" I heard Tetsu as he made his way out of hiding.
"Reinforcements perhaps?" Shion turned to me.
"No, if there were we would've gotten word from Katsura, that we would've" I answered.
"There's some over here!" one of the shadows spoke and soon several jumped in front of me.
"Ninjas!" I immediately recognized the dark clad warriors before us.
Soon I found three pointed projectiles hurled in my direction. Sliding my sheath from my belt, I caught each one, but in turn I almost forgot about the individuals standing before me. A short piece of metal was now swung before, causing me to stagger back. However, my katana slid upward from the ground and slit the man upward from the bottom of torso to the top of his skull. The usual fountain of crimson followed as the two halves fell in opposite directions, laying flat against the ground. I tried to run away, but more Shinobi blocked my path. I readied my sword once more, but my path had already been cleared once I took up more sword again.
"Mina-san, are you okay?" Shion asked after she kicked the bodies to the floor.
"Hai, arigatou," I answered as I swung my blade at the next ninja.
I wasted little time after my katana stabbed it's latest victim, I simply kicked away the newest corpse and swung my sword behind me to catch another victim. I turned to my side to find another blade being pulled toward me, but it was still too slow for me. Ducking from the blade, I spun behind my opponent and engraved my sword into the base of the man's neck while I dodged another's lunge. With my blade still stuck in it's newest prey, I kicked the man in front of me and spun once more so that the corpse would land on my attacker. With both bodies on the ground, I pushed my sword through the already dead ninja and into the one that fell. This provoked the others and more came in my direction from all sides. I avoided all of this by jumping into the air and onto the roof of the warehouse where I hid. Of course, with them being ninjas, they followed. They were everywhere on the roof, each tile had supported one ninja, and it didn't seem like there was any way I could jump back down either without being skewered by one of their swords. I had to lessen their numbers, and there was only one attack that could do this.
"Do-Ryu-Sen!" I pushed my the sharpened edge of my katana against the tiles.
A majority of the crowd in front of me had now fallen off the roof or face first to the floor, lessening the numbers before me. The rest had then charged at me, and there was no way I was backing out now. I charged forward and began swinging left and right continuously, not caring who it was, actually it didn't matter, I knew that all of them were my enemy. Everywhere I looked there was always a splash of scarlet from that direction and wherever I swung the sound of flesh being pierced or the screeching of metal followed. It took a while, but now it seemed as if the entire roof was now painted in red. Not a drop of blood on me, well at least not my blood, each of them were easily slain. I couldn't help but pity each one of those ninjas, even if they are supposed to be indispensable. Just as soon as I thought my work is done, another shadow dropped in front of me.
"Do you enjoy throwing your lives away?" I sighed as I placed the inner curve of my sword on my shoulder.
"You're very skilled, I'll give you that," the voice of this ninja was different from the previous ones.
"A woman?" I recognized the tone of her voice.
"That's right," she said as she pulled the scarf and cowl away from her face, "my name is Misanagi the Flying Arrow, I am the leader of the Sanada Ninjas."
There was definitely something different about her. Her uniform was different from her grunts, it was still black, but the material had only covered her torso. There was netting of some sort from her shoulders to her wrists, as well as on the 'V' area from where her shirt's collar was supposed to be. Her legs were wrapped in bandages, probably acting as socks of some sort. Eyes and hair as brown as dirt, her hair was tied from the top right and top left to make the impression of a butterfly. It wasn't her appearance that was different from the rest, it was her ki. She was definitely a seasoned warrior, the aroma of blood was rather strong, anyone who had not experienced combat before may have passed out. She seemed like she would be my toughest opponent thus far.
"Leader of the Sanada Ninjas, huh?" I asked Misanagi. "May I ask why you are attacking us and the Bakufu?"
"Tell me who you are first," Misanagi ordered, remaining calm as she spoke.
"Himura Mina of the Ishin Shishi," I introduced myself, "I come from the Cho Shu Clan. I'm the leader of those Ishin Shishi that your men are fighting. Now tell me why you're doing this."
"It's rather simple, Himura," a simper stretched across the ninja's face, "that ship was carrying the latest weaponry from Spain and Germany, my men and I want it for ourselves."
"For what reason," I asked, "aren't ninjas only supposed to work for others for money?"
"Hai, but there are other things my clan wants other than money," Misanagi continued, "we want Japan."
"Japan, you say?" I asked again.
"Ever since the Shogunate rose to power, the ninjas were kicked out of the warrior class," Misanagi explained, "we were forced to join those in the lower class, living in the darkness, learning to fight with whatever crude tools we could find. The only way we could survive was by doing the deeds for those who had money. If we had the latest weaponry from the Western world, then perhaps we could turn the tides and take this nation for ourselves, a nation ruled by the Ninja. You should understand, you too are fighting against the Shogunate."
"But for different reasons!" I spat. "Your reasons are selfish ones, you just want a world where you're in charge! You don't care about the suffering about the people, all you want is to rule the people, not caring what they're going through!"
"Well, I'm sure they'll understand, after all, we were forced to mingle with them in the first place," Misanagi responded.
"Misanagi the Flying Arrow," I tightened the wrap around my sword, "as a member of the Ishin Shishi and representative of the people of Japan, I won't allow you to create such a world!"
"Really," the ninja reached for the sword on her back, "well I guess this means we can't be friends."
Within seconds her sword was already drawn, the tip pointed toward the ground in an angle, the hilt pointed toward the moon and her knuckles in my direction. The sword was inches away from her left hand which lay open, as if they were grasping a ball of some sort. Right leg arched back and left foot forward, this was a typical ninja stance. The blade of her sword was different from my own, it was a few inches shorter, it was about three-fourths the size of my katana, and there was no curve on her blade either, it was as straight as a bamboo reed. The guard was bigger as well, it was big enough to support one's foot.
"What are you waiting for," Misanagi's voice broke my analysis, "are you waiting for me?"
"Fast!" I quickly found my blade locked with her's.
Wind was suddenly flowing in my direction within the next second. I turned toward it's direction for a moment only to find four fingers parallel to the ground now crossing against my face. My feet were pushed a few feet back as a result and as soon as I pulled my face back to it's original position, I then found something suddenly pressing against my abdomen, making me hunch over as a result. The blade suddenly came down after, but I jerked away at the last moment, the blade catching some of my hair instead. I had enough of backing away, so I decided it was time to charge forward. My blade slid upward from the tile riding up an invisible ramp only to stop once more before her sword. Again, her fist stretched toward my face, but I was able to knock it back with the back of mine. Not wanting to stay locked in place forever, my foot rose forward, pushing against her chest, making her stagger a bit back, this was my chance.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu," I pushed off the tile underneath my feet, launching myself into the heavens, "Ryu-Tsui-Sen!" I brought my blade forward as I plummeted back to the roof.
Her blade had caught mine again, the steel slab supporting my weight as I tried to push forward. She bit down on her own teeth with each inch my blade came closer to her face, desperately trying to push me back into the air. The earth began to pull me closer, the blade was just about to touch her skin, but then the grimace on her face suddenly turned into a grin.
'What the hell?!' I thought and then I noticed it.
There was only one hand one the hilt of her blade, the other was reaching behind her back. I began to pull back, only to bring something with me. I felt something cold yet smooth in my side suddenly, I turned toward it to find Misanagi's hand there, clutching a rather large piece of bark with a small piece of metal that was somehow attached to my side. My face began to scrunch as my feet suddenly loosened, my knees catching my fall. I felt a small flood of warm fluid rushing down my side after, and it began to climb it's way from my throat.
"Oh, I'm so sorry about that," Misanagi grinned as the knife was extracted from my torso.
With that, the rush of blood escaped my mouth and onto the already crimson tile. I shut my eyes as I hunched forward, trying to regain what I had lost through my lungs.
'I can't seem to read her,' I thought as I tried to regain my breath, 'and her ki seems to nullify my god-like speed, that it does.'
"It's not over yet!" Misanagi said after and suddenly that feeling of metal was once again inside me.
"Argh!" I felt another gush of blood filling up my throat.
The metal was near the center of my body, a few inches above my stomach. I could feel each pump in the vein above the blade. I felt the rivers inside slowly being drained by the steel, the feeling was slowly dying as more and more ruby red liquid oozed from the craters in my body. The blade ventured further, it's point pushing through my back, creating a third geyser of scarlet. Even with my teeth pushing against it each other, the gaps between them allowed the rush of blood to escape in small rivers.
'This is the end,' I thought, 'it's all over now.'
Chapter 15 Liner Notes
Where is Osaka Bay?- Osaka is a port town a few miles west of Kyoto. Though it was close to Kyoto, it wasn't as badly affected by the Revolution, but there was a major battle fought there around the end of winter in the year 1865.
What's the three sakura petals on the flag's banner?- The three sakura petals is a design for the Tokugawa Shogunate, it's placed on the backs of it's officials clothing and on flags.
What's a 'shinobi'?- The word 'shinobi' is the old term for 'ninja'. It literally translates to 'shadow warrior'.
Who are the Sanada Ninjas?- For those who never watched the Arcs after the Kyoto Arc, the Sanada Ninjas are a group of ninjas who are trying to take over Japan. Their leader is a woman named Misanagi the Flying Arrow (who I might add is probably the coolest character in the filler arcs). In the Rurouni Kenshin series, she and her Sanada Ninjas made an agreement with a German organization called the Black Knights that if the Sanada Ninjas lead them to an elixir that supposed to grant eternal life, they would give them Japan once they took over the world. But in the Rurouni Kenshin series, Misanagi didn't have a sword, just a knife, but I decided to give her a sword anyway in this fic, she'd be better off with it. Also, she only had one short fight in the series, you couldn't tell if she was a decent fighter or not, but I decided to make her one of the top fighters Mina has fought so far because Misanagi also happens to be my favorite character introduced in the filler arcs. Personally, I think she's also pretty hot (for an anime girl anyway).
(Next time: "The shadow tries to lock me deeper inside the darkness, my only hope is the creature that continues to plague me. Yet this is a battle even she can't win, is it possible for me to escape the shadows with my life...?" -Himura Mina)
Author's Note: Well, how was it? Any good, please give me a review if you're reading this, not a flame though. Anyway, the next chapter contains NC-17 content and as a result, I'm posting the edited version of the next chapter on fanfiction.net, the uncut chapter 16 will be posted on Psychotik RK (the site I originally posted up all my works and can be found at http://clik.to/psychotikkenshin) and the uncut chapter can also be found at my website, Four Steps of Heaven (which is at http://xenomark.neohybrid.com.) So if you're going to leave me a review, please leave it here at fanfiction.net, even if it's for the uncut chapters. Anyway, leave me review please, but not a flame.