Chapter 2
Blood sprayed everywhere as Kenshin brought down his sword. Tomoe's scarf veiled his eyes, but as it slowly fell from his eyes…He saw the one terror, which will scar him for the rest of his life. The sword went through a body. Not one that he expected. Not Tatsumi's. But that body was Tomoe's…
She had blocked Tatsumi's dagger, but instead was slashed by Kenshin's sword. Blood was raining everywhere around him…It stained his face, his hair, his clothes…the ground…The sword went straight through Tomoe and hit Tatsumi's body, thus killing both of them. Tatsumi slowly fell backwards groaning.
"I do not understand women, they do such stupid things…" he slowly let go of the dagger that both he and Tomoe ended up holding. The soft snow was stained with bright red blood of Tatsumi, as he lay dead. Tomoe fell backwards into Kenshin's arms, her own blood staining her clothes. He was still unaware of what was happening. He stood still for a little while, until he saw what had really happened.
"TOMOE!!" his voice echoed in the wind as the blizzard passed.
Snow lightly fell around both Kenshin and Tomoe as he sat there cradling her frail body. She coughed and stirred for a moment. His eyes fell on her pale face that was slowly fading away.
"If I just hadn't killed her. If I just hadn't become a Hitokiri. She would've been happy with Kiyosato and I would've been out somewhere as a rurouni." His lips trembled with words and feelings he just couldn't describe. He had just killed the one who truly understood what the people had to go through. The people that had their families die under his sword. The sadness and torture that he must have put her through!
"Only if she stayed alive. She has to! Tomoe…" Kenshin's face was etched with worry. His eyes were filled with tears that never came to him after the day the three maidens who took care of him were killed by thieves. Those three women had cared for him and let him be spared from death. Tomoe was just the same.
"T…Tomoe…" he whispered with difficulty to speak. She stirred and slowly opened her eyes. Her right hand still had the dagger clutched into her hands. The strength had diminished from her, as she was about to pass away. Slowly, she lifted the dagger up to his cheek. The scar he had gotten before from the fight between him and Kiyosato was still there. It was a scar where it would be there unless the person who caused it gets what he wants from the other person. The scar would bleed every time Kenshin would do something that Kiyosato wouldn't like, such as if he were to kill someone, the scar would bleed and never heal.
Tomoe lifted the blade and let the tip sink through the skin of his cheek. She made a cut as long as your thumb over the scar that Kiyosato had made. The two cuts made a cross-scar, which he would carry all through his life. Kenshin slowly opened his eyes and his tears welled up even more. He realized the pain and angst that he would have to carry throughout his entire life. The heavy burden that she had to carry was finally gone. She was going to be happy again now, but…she would be gone from his life. A tear fell down his blood stained face and the drop of blood fell on Tomoe's face. She had a pained expression, one filled with pity and doubt.
"I'm sorry." She said with the last of her strength. Her rosy, but now pale, lips formed a smile across her face. Then the strength seemed like it was drained out of her as she dropped her hand and dagger on the snow blanketed ground. Her life was finally gone from her body. Kenshin's eyes widened and he felt sorrow and unending pain as he saw her body lie there on his legs. Blood was everywhere around them and snow was no longer pure and white anymore. Kenshin took his arms and put them around Tomoe to embrace her.
Enishi stood amidst the two and watched in awe of what had happened before his eyes. His grip on nee-san's umbrella lightened as it dropped to the ground. The snow had gathered on his hair and his eyes were wide with terror. He no longer had a father or a sister. His mother had died when he was young so he depended on his nee-san as a mother and an older sister. "Onee-san…" Snow fell lightly as he silently stood. "No, it couldn't have happened. His leader was sure to have been the victor. Kenshin was too weak to do anything. But…Kenshin killed onee-san! I saw it with my own eyes! He killed her! At first he takes away her happiness and now he takes away her life?! She…She's gone now! He'll pay for this! He'll die at my sword with Jinchuu since Tenchuu has not been paid!!"