Izou Hen: The Legacy Arc

Rurouni Kenshin © 1997 by Nobuhiro Watsuki.

VII - Keep them alive

- So. What's the plan?

- Yeah, there's a plan, right, Shinomori?

- Yes, there is. - The three men gathered around their 'leader', paying attention to his every breath. - Only one of us will go back.

- WHAT?!?!

Molpadia, who was checking their chosen warriors, stopped in her tracks and turned in the direction of the outraged shout. Men are weird, she thought, shaking her head.

- Now that we have the attention of half Japan, will you let me finish? - Aoshi mumbled. The others just lowered their heads, feeling amazingly small. - One of us must win the fight and go back. The other three will purposedly lose, to be able to get inside their headquarters-- but don't let them win too easily, otherwise they'll get suspicious. The one who wins brings reforces. This way we'll have access from both sides, inside and outside. It's dangerous. I know. But we have no other choice. - With that said, the spy sighed then eyed each of his new 'comrades', stopping at the younger of them. - Kenji-kun. You said you wanted to prove your strenght.

- Hai, Shinomori-san. - The boy nodded, realization dawning on him.

- You will defeat your opponent and go back to the dojo. Tell Misao everything. - Aoshi noticed Kenji's eyes widening a bit, then narrowing in courage and pride. - Also... tell her I entrust the decisions in her hands. She is the official okashira of the Oniwabanshuu, afterall.

Entrust..., Kenji reflected. So that's why he wanted Misao-san to stay. He had everything planned from the beginning... Aoshi-san will always surprise me, no matter what. - Right! Let's go!

- Harmothoe.

The tall woman, even though in her mid-forties, had a slim figure. She stepped ahead, turned the long, shiny spear in her hands and thrust its end on the ground.

- Andromache.

Grinning, a well-built woman joined Harmothoe and crossed her arms.

- Aello.

A young lady in her twenties presented herself, elegantly looping the small but deadly double axe between her fingers.

- Alcippe.

The last chosen warrior was even younger than Aello, probably not even twenty yet - however, the deadly glint of her eyes made clear that her age wouldn't mean anything when she used her Greek sword.

- You were chosen not only because of your excellent abilities with your respective weapons, but also following a psychological criteria - Molpadia clarified. - Our enemies are different from each other in matters of fighting. You can notice that from their weapons and their ages. I believe each of you know exactly with who you are supposed to fight, don't you?

- Yes, we do - said Andromache, glaring at the back of a certain rooster-head.

- Great. You will fight each at a time, the oldest first, and keep your eyes on your opponent while the others fight. Read every emotion that crosses their faces and use it against them. Hippolyta-sama? Is there anything you would like to tell them?

- Just an advise. I have given my word. There are things I need them for. Keep them alive. - the queen sighed. - Understood?

- Yes, our Majesty. - The four bowed their heads.

- May Artemis and Athena unite to guide your hands. Go.

The four women aligned on a parallel line to the men. Picking her spear, Harmothoe pointed in Aoshi's direction. Giving a curt nod, the onmitsu grabbed both ends of his long sheath and made his blades come to the morning light.

The other warriors stepped aside carefully as not to disturb the two of them. Both positioned themselves, measuring each other, she shifting the weight of the spear between her hands, he silently observing each of her movements, the pair of kodachi immobile in his hands.

- How boring - Alcippe suppressed a yawn. A few feet from her, Kenji thought the same-- but had much less patience.

- Aoshi-san! Go on with that already!

That was the catalyst for the battle. With great speed, Aoshi rushed to Harmothoe, blades ahead. Expertly, he aimed at the spear's handle, decided on damaging the woman's weapon.

All male eyes widened when a metallic 'clank' was heard.

- What?! - Sano exclaimed. - Wood doesn't clank!

A metal handle! Aoshi concluded.

- Surprise - Harmothoe smiled. - Wooden handles are too fragile for my standards. Of course, by now you must have guessed that all this iron and steel weighs quite a lot. But... believe me, I can still be fast. - With that, she pulled the spear out of the kodachi grip and, jumping back, turned it and held it beside her body, parallel to the floor with the head pointed to him.

Quite fast, he thought while she ran to him, but not enough. Aoshi waited till she was close, then twisted his body and hit her in the back of the head with his elbow making her stumble and almost fall.

- Kempo - he simply stated.

Recomposing herself, Harmothoe adjusted her shoulders and resumed her stance again-- only this time with the spear butt ahead. Aoshi didn't realize what it meant, till she ran in his direction again, stopping right in front of him and moving the spear handle to the side.

Now.

He saw it coming, but didn't dodge. The metal pole hit his right side full force, knocking him down. Clutching his ribs, he rolled quickly on the floor, and the next second he nearly regretted not having dodged this time.

He had no escape; the spear head was held just above his face. The woman pulled it high enough that it would slam in his skull with good force, then held the pole with both hands and thrust. Aoshi closed his eyes and waited for death,

which never came; opening his lids, he found the spear an inch away from his right ear, thrust on the ground-- and a large grin over Harmothoe's face.

- Our match is over.

Andromache stepped ahead. Sanosuke stepped ahead. She cracked her knuckles. He cracked his. She shook her legs. He shook his. She grinned. He grinned. She gestured for him to come. He did. In a millisecond, punches and kicks flew.

The two fighters were rather similar in strength. Sano had stronger arms, but the woman had great flexibility and force on her legs. And both were succeeding in blocking each other's attacks. After a few minutes of fight (which seemed an eternity for Kenji and Alcippe, the youngest and more anxious of the group), the ex-gangster had hit Andromache twice in the abdomen and once in the face, while she had almost tripped him up and also gave him a swollen chin with a aesthetically perfect high kick. Fed up, Sano decided he'd have to make use of his street wisdom in something that would certainly affect her. Pretending he was going to punch her stomach again, he took advantage of her distraction to hit softer flesh.

The Amazons gasped in sympathy. Hand protecting her aching left breast, Andromache jumped away from him, panting.

- Bastard, that wasn't fair! - she hissed.

- All's fair in a fight, miss - Sano answered, grinning. - C'mon! I don't have all day.

- What the hell is he doing?! - Kenji whispered to Yahiko, his sole male company now that Aoshi was a captured prisoner at the other side of the battlefield. - Did he forget what Aoshi-san told us to do?

- Calm down - he answered. - Have I ever told you about Sano's fighting technique, the Futae no Kiwami? Well, it would have decided this fight a long ago... if he had used it. But... I guess this time Megumi-san won't have the chance to scold him for his hand.

- A "fair" fight, then. Let's go! - Andromache shouted and flung her left leg high for a side-hit, but Sano was able to protect himself with his left forearm. The woman had already thought of a way to have her sweet revenge, and threw him a rain of punches in the face and chest, which he blocked with apparently no effort. Distracted by the movements of her fists, Sano didn't pay attention to where her knee was headed.

All the other men in the battlefield grimaced.

- Ouch - Kenji breathed.

- I see... - Aoshi frowned, talking more to himself than to the laughing Harmothoe by his side. - In a man-to-man fight, there's this sort of 'fellowship understanding' that makes us avoid hitting that particular part of the body... but a female adversary wouldn't be so diligent about it, of course.

- Damn-- woman... - Sano grunted, rolling on the ground with his hands clutching his crotch.

- 'All is fair in a fight', isn't it? - she laughed and pulled his head by the hair, sitting on his shoulders with her legs apart to immobilize him. - We're done here.

Yahiko glanced at the woman with the double axe who awaited for him. Then he had a look at Kenji, who tapped his foot and drummed his fingers on the hilt of the sakabatou and chewed his lower lip and glared furiously at the girl with the strange sword.

Then he decided to spare a glance at Aoshi, who gestured for him not to be long or the boy would snap.

Exhaling in determination, the Kamiya Kasshin master approached Aello. She swirled the axe in her hands and positioned herself. He assumed a simple kenjutsu stance, readying his bokken.

- A wooden sword, - the woman sneered, - how sweet.

- Come and taste its sweetness, then - Yahiko snarled, but a second glance at Kenji's state made him want to take his words back.

But now it was too late. Aello advanced with a battle yell; he dodged to the side, letting her go past him, and prepared himself for a counterattack. She blocked his stroke between the handle and one of the blades. They struggled for a while with their locked weapons and, once free, she attacked again. This time, though, Yahiko didn't have time to evade. The only way to save his skin was to hold the bokken in front of him--

CRACK

The upper half of the sword went flying. If it hadn't absorbed most of the blow's power, the superficial gash on Yahiko's thorax would have certainly been lethal.

- What, is it over already? - Aello chuckled. Her opponent just sighed and raised his eyebrows, eyes closed.

- What a shame for us. Aren't you a master or something? - Sano whispered, shaking his head, when the new prisoner joined him and Aoshi. - I thought the Kamiya Kasshin could use the tsuka for--

- Shhhhhhhhh! - his male companions answered.

It's my turn now, Kenji slumped his shoulders, and I can't lose. Ahead of him, Alcippe stand freely with her foreigner-style sword on a firm grip beside her. Looks like mugyou no kurai... she must be pretty confident on her sword.

She pointed the sword to him and growled, - Come.

The boy was on her in a lightning.

- They are fast! - Molpadia whispered to Hipollyta. - So fast we barely see their movements.

- They are very young, thus very energetic. Can you hear them? Their swords don't stop connecting, and their breaths are still steady. - the lieutenant nodded. - And there's more to it. Their auras are highly excited. Their ki are ablaze. - This is definitely Himura Kenji, the queen thought.

After an eternity of such swordsmen's waltz, both the red-headed and the girl had wearied themselves off pretty badly. They got a few feet's distance from each other to try to catch their breath. The little bastard is good, Alcippe thought, but he's tired. I'll bring him down in the next stroke, and he'll regret crossing our way. Giving a loud battle cry, she attacked, and hit

... air.

- Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, Ryuu Tsui Sen.

Kenji came down full force on the girl's shoulder, knocking her down on the ground, and stepped beside her with all the grace of a great swordsman.

- Our fight is settled.

- Wow... - Sano murmured under his breath, amazed. - So, Kenshin's master changed his mind about teaching the Hiten Mitsurugi again, huh?

- No, he didn't - Yahiko droned.

- Wha?!?!

- Kenji learned the Ryuu Tsui Sen from seeing me perform it once. Actually, all he knows of the style comes from hearing about it.

Sano blinked. Then chuckled. - Hell, that brat REALLY scares me, y'know.

Kenji glared at Hippolyta, not saying a word. She looked back at him and, just as silent, slightly bowed her head. The boy bowed his as well and gave his friends a last glance, turning to where they had come from.

None of them noticed Alcippe getting up and running in his direction, a tight hold on the hilt of her sword.

- DIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEE!!!

Hearing the scream, Kenji turned as fast as he could, but it was already too late. The girl stood right in front of him, eyes as big as plates, still. Looking down, he saw the bloodied arrowhead coming out of her stomach. Her body fell limp by his side. All eyes turned to Hippolyta.

- Your Majesty! - Molpadia protested.

- I hate disobeyence - the queen answered, lowering her bow. - I had made myself clear. Going back on my word would be foul and dishonorable. Alcippe should have admitted defeat as our enemies did. - she spurred her horse and turned, murmuring to Molpadia, - Besides, I don't think the boy will go very far.

The lieutenant pondered on those words for a few seconds, then smiled. - Aello, Andromache, Harmothoe, you will be in charge of the prisoners, since you have defeated them. Tecmessa, bring Alcippe's body. - Then, turning back, she saw the retreating form of the young red-headed swordsman. - You'll have a little surprise when you get home, boy.

- Misao-san!

Nowhere. Fifteen minutes had passed since he'd arrived and they were nowhere! They might have gone out... no way. Knowing them, they'd stay here till we got back! So where are them? Kenji thought, while looking inside the guest room for the third time. I was supposed to meet them here, wasn't I? That was what Aoshi-san told me to do. 'Go back to the dojo, tell Misao everything.' Now how am I going to tell anything for Misao-san if she's not around?!

- Misao-san!! Megumi-san!! Where are you?!

Suddenly, he stiffened.

That aura.

- Who is there?

Silence.

- I know you are there and I know you've been here before. Show up right now and tell me who you are and why the hell you have been spying on us all that time.

An arrow went zipping by his side, and weren't he fast he would have been pinned to the wall like a scroll painting. Instead, the arrowhead scratched his right arm. Right hand clutching the sakabatou hilt, he turned ferociously to his attacker.

His bluish-purple eyes met olive ones.

Author's Notes: This chapter is LONG. Crap.

I got tired of adapting Hippolyta's name to romanji U_U'' Not only that, but also because I didn't want to "japanize" the four girls' names, and I felt it would be strange if Molpadia said their names correctly but kept saying "Iporita". Let's just pretend she was finally able to pronounce Greek words ^_^ There's some information on the four warriors and also Artemis and Athena in the Myths section, and a drawing of their weapons in the Art page of Izou Hen site, .

The fights weren't that satisfactory, but if I delayed this for one more day I'd snap or be killed - whatever came first. Besides, they had to lose anyway...

PS: The Notify List site isn't opening, so I couldn't send the updates for the guys' mailboxes... sorry... ;_;

Chapter VIII: Where the hell are those women, anyway?