Disclaimer: Kenshin and all it's characters don't belong to me, I merely
borrowed them for my tale.
A.N. Well, here's the next chapter of my story, I hope you guys are still enjoying it. It's really dark and angst-y but that's what it was supposed to be like.
R&R!
Enjoy!
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Secrets of the Revolution
Chapter 8
The desire to see blood coursed through her, engulfing her entire being.
"Who would have ever thought a pretty young thing such as yourself was a virgin." Shiro said maliciously in her ear as he assaulted her again. She had gone totally still, her head turned to the side and silent tears slid down her face.
'Every woman with spirit and fire could be so easily contained through this method, and it wasn't such a bad way to tame her either', Shiro thought.
Hideki's eyes were glazed over as they continued to ravish her. One of the other two men decided he wanted another go. Shiro agreed as he pulled his cloths back on. He had a mission to do, one that would put him in the history books. He left his two samurai in the room to finish their business with the girl. Feeling better than he had in a while, he gathered the remaining members of his squad and set out into the darkening evening to find Okubo.
They would only need 12 members. No one knew their plan. No one knew that Okubo was coming. And if by some chance someone did show up, Shiro silently hoped it would be Battousai. Then he himself could kill the legendary manslayer.
Shiro felt invincible as he set out with his squad into the darkening evening.
The closing of the shoji door brought Hideki back to her senses. Her attack had stopped for a moment. But she knew it was only a matter of time. She blinked. Blood pumped in her head, as the demon within her took control. She saw a hastily discarded short sword in front of her face, within arms reach, the very same one used to slice her obi off. She felt a man's weight on top of her again. Rage fuelled her movements, as she used her right hand to dislocate her left wrist in one swift movement, freeing herself from the bindings.
With her hands free, she grabbed the man by his member with one hand, grabbed the short sword in the other and exacted revenge on him by swinging the sword down between their bodies.
He opened his mouth to scream but was cut short when the sword was driven directly through his throat. Hideki relished in the feel of the sword slicing skin and bone as she twisted the blade. Blood sprayed on her face and exposed chest, but she didn't care. Pushing against the sword with all her strength, the man flew off her and hit the floor, dead. She stood up, ignoring the pain her abused body screamed as she moved, and faced the other samurai who had raped her.
He stood frozen in fear when her eyes turned to his.
She was horrifying.
Her face and chest covered in blood, her kimono still gaping open, her hips were bruised, and her thighs had blood on them. But her face was the most frightening. Her features were twisted as she smiled a smile only the devil could possess and her eyes had changed from their blue, to a menacing red.
She looks like the devil incarnated.
She was going to kill him, and there was nothing he could do about it.
He unsheathed his sword to try and protect himself. Her smile grew more frightening as she walked towards him. He thrust his sword forward, but she dodged it easily and he watched in horror as something flashed from her head. He had enough time to register that it was her silver hair piece with a decorative sakura blossom at its end before she drove it up through his chin, killing him instantly. She took the sword from his hands as he fell to the floor. Picking up the other katana and wakazashi that remained, she surveyed her damage.
"Two down, so many more left to kill." She said smiling down at the two bodies. She picked up the rope that had been used to tie her hands and wrapped it around her waist to keep the kimono shut, and left the room in search for more blood.
Shiro's blood.
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Katsura and Himura ran through the streets of Kyoto hell bent on getting to that inn and getting Hideki out. Katsura wasn't as fast a runner as Himura was, but he did have samurai blood, and with the adrenaline pumping though him right now, he was running faster. He felt a horrible cold wash over him when he heard the old doctor say squad seven. He was out the door in a heartbeat, following Himura. He had put that girl in danger and Kami-sama only knows what's happened since yesterday. She had mentioned to Himura there had been advances. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew the advances had turned badly today.
Himura never bothered to check and see if Katsura was keeping up. If push came to shove, Katsura could defend himself. The only thought going through Himura's mind was Hideki. He kept reminding himself that she could take care of herself, but he was still worried, and a nagging sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that as strong as Hideki was, she hadn't been able to protect herself that day.
If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself and he was pretty sure that he would hunt down every member of Shinsengumi squad seven and kill them with his bare hands.
The inn was on the outskirts of Kyoto. It was a stand alone building located on a major highway that lead into the city. The inn had no neighbours. It was the perfect place for weary travellers to rest.
Himura's feet ate up the earth as he continued his break neck pace to the inn, cursing its distance from the main city.
Katsura was close behind him cursing for the same reason.
They reached the inn, and the outside looked as friendly and as inviting as it should. Himura slowed his pace as he got closer to the main entrance. Something wasn't right, and as he approached he knew what. The smell of blood was in the air. He didn't hesitate as he threw the door open. The owner of the inn was sitting on the floor, his back to the wall and his head bent forward. If it wasn't for the sword that was driven through his heart and the pool of blood surrounding his body, one would have thought he was asleep. Himura's eyes widened at the site just as Katsura entered the house.
"Kami-sama, what the hell happened?" Katsura whispered. Himura didn't care what happened he wanted to know one thing and one thing only.
"SAKURA!" he bellowed and charged into the inn.
The anger he felt was unlike anything he had felt before. His amber eyes had turned feral with rage as he ran up the stairs to the second floor. He reached the landing and froze. Down the long stretch of hallway there was a trail of massacre. There were three women, all dead, swimming in pools of their own blood. Each had been killed in a different manner. Himura ran to each of them checking to see if any of them was Hideki. The first woman had her throat sliced open and a short sword was sticking out of her chest, she wasn't Hideki. The second one had a huge gash running from shoulder to hip, she wasn't Hideki. The third had been stabbed through the heart, she wasn't Hideki. He reached the third woman just as Katsura climbed the stairs, after checking downstairs for any signs of Sakura. Aside from the dead innkeeper, the lower level was empty.
"Kuso," Katsura swore under his breath, looking at the three bodies. "What caused this?"
"Not what, who?" Himura said flatly as he stood up. "None of them are Sakura." Katsura nodded and opened the door that was next to him, to start searching the rooms. The first two were empty, the third was not. He opened the door and froze.
There were two Shinsengumi samurai... dead. One wore a short gi and nothing else, and Katsura could see that he had been mutilated in his nether regions. He had a short sword stuck through his throat. The other was resting against the far wall; his head lowered and chin resting on his chest. He would have looked like he was sleeping, just like the innkeeper, if it wasn't for the blood that soaked his chest.
Katsura walked over to the man and pushed his head back. Sticking out of his chin was a small silver object. Katsura inspected the body, and the object as Himura stood in the doorway surveying the scene. There were a few drops of blood in the centre of the room, probably from the male member that lay not too far from it. He winced at the thought of the pain the man felt just before he died, then froze listening intently. He heard the sound again. It sounded like a small whimper.
Following the sound, he left the room hell bent on finding the source for the noise. He heard it again, louder. Then he sensed the person. Whoever it was, they were cowering in a closet. He threw open the door leading to the storage closet only to meet a young girl, no more than 16, with tears streaming down her cheeks, curled into a ball in the corner of the closet. She screamed when the door was thrown open and covered her head with her arms.
Katsura heard the scream just as he pulled the silver object from the man's head. He clutched it tightly in his hand before running out of the room to find Himura and, he prayed, Sakura. He found Himura standing outside a closet door, looking down at whoever was in it. Katsura came to Battousai's side and looked down at the young girl.
"Where is Sakura?" Himura asked. His voice and his eyes only terrified her even more as she tried to get further into the closet. "Where is she?!" he yelled. She whimpered again, whispering incomprehensible words. Katsura took a deep breath and knelt down before her, his eyes turning gentle and he willed his voice to be soothing as he started talking to the terrified girl.
"Please, jou-chan. If you can tell us where Sakura is, I'll personally guarantee your safety. No one will ever hurt you." Katsura said softly. The girl stopped her babbling and blinked up at the man before her. His soft eyes and gentle voice soothed her slightly. Trying to ignore the frightening man who still stood glaring down at her with yellow eyes she repeated the only word she heard before hiding in the closet.
"Okubo." She whispered. Katsura's eyes widened. Himura's heart stopped.
Shinsengumi Squad seven was gone, leaving a trail of massacre behind them, to kill Okubo Tochimichi. The only possible explanation for Hideki's absence was that she had gone, unarmed, to stop them.
Forgetting about the bloody mess the inn was in, no longer caring who had committed the murders, Himura turned on his heel and ran from the house. He just needed to see her. He would feel so much better just to see her alive. Katsura told the girl to get to Tomino-sensai's clinic as fast as she could, then left to follow Himura.
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Hideki ran at top speed through the increasing darkness. She had ditched her sandals and was running barefoot. The kimono she wore was covered in the blood of the people she had just enjoyed killing. The rope about her waist kept the kimono closed, but as she ran through the forest the material billowed behind her and her legs were exposed up to her bruised thighs but she didn't care. There was only one thought coursing through her head. Kill. She wanted nothing more than to kill. But before she could enjoy killing randomly, she had one person who she had to rid the world of.
Shiro.
As darkness settled over her, she caught up to the Shinsengumi squad as it surrounded the carriage of Okubo. The politician was standing outside his carriage and directly in front, facing him, was Shiro. Rage flooded Hideki's senses as she ran towards the group. The Imperialist bodyguards had all been slain and Okubo was the last one remaining. Shiro raised his sword above his head just as Hideki ran up behind the group. Before he could bring the sword down to kill Okubo, Hideki used one of the samurai at the back of the group as a spring and planted herself in front of Okubo and she faced him.
Shiro's eyes widened upon seeing the girl he had raped not one hour before hand standing before him, protecting Okubo. Her blue eyes were gone, replaced with horrible red. She was covered in blood, her kimono was held on by the rope that had been used to tie her hands together, and she had a frightening snarl on her face. If she had been wearing a gi and hakama and carrying a sword, Shiro probably would have though she was a man. But she wasn't. She was a weak woman he had raped before, and realized he would have to again because her fire wasn't put out, and she was unarmed. He would enjoy himself when he took her again. Her voice put a stop to his thoughts.
"You're men were quite easy to kill. And I plan to enjoy taking your life Shiro." She snarled. Her tone was deep, almost masculine. And if she wasn't wearing the kimono that just barely covered her battered body, he would have been scared. But looking at her appearance, he found himself laughing.
"You expect me to believe you killed two of my men? That's absurd. Now step aside little girl, I have a job to finish. After Okubo's dead, I'll have my fun with you again."
Hideki didn't move.
"Move or I'll kill you." Shiro growled. Hideki cocked a grin. Her red eyes flashed as she watched the man before her.
"Just try." She said. Shiro growled with rage and lunged at the girl. She sidestepped easily and grabbed the wrist of the hand that held his sword. Pivoting on her foot, she used her elbow and her full body weight thrown behind it to break Shiro's arm. He screamed in pain and dropped his sword. She retrieved it from the ground and immediately plunged it through his gut. He coughed blood and stared down at the girl before him. She smiled and pulled his sword out slowly. He staggered back a few steps and watched her.
Hideki raised the blood soaked sword to her lips and flecked her tongue over it, tasting Shiro's blood and then with a quick flick of her wrist she cleaned the sword of blood. Shiro's eyes widened at the gesture.
Only a highly skilled sword master could clean the blade of a katana with the flick of a wrist.
"Who are you?" he whispered, still clutching his bleeding abdomen. She smiled a smile of pure evil.
"I'm your greatest fear."
The last image Shiro saw was his blade swinging towards him.
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Himura tore through the forest towards the road where Okubo was supposed to be travelling on to get to Kyoto. He had opted for a lesser known, and rarely travelled stretch of road to gain access to Kyoto unnoticed. Squad seven had somehow found out about his arrival and decided to take matters into their own hands. Himura assumed Hideki had gone to stop them.
Himura heard swords clashing not too far ahead. He increased his pace and broke through the forest and found himself on the road, just behind the samurais which surrounded Okubo and Hideki.
Hideki was already battling one of the Shinsengumi. One lay dead at her feet. She was wielding someone's sword as she fought. Himura forgot all that he had seen at the inn as relief washed over him upon seeing her alive. He didn't stop to think has he plunged head first into the battle.
Himura drew his sword, the sound caused a few Shinsengumi to turn their heads, and he easily cut one Shinsengumi's head off before the man could draw his sword. He thrust his sword through the heart of another then withdrawing his blade and with one quick movement he re-sheathed his katana and prepared to administer his battoujutsu on a charging samurai. A flash of light and the man was sliced from hip the shoulder, blood sprayed everywhere. He turned to see that Hideki had managed to fight them all off, she was looking down at the body of her latest kill, her back to Himura.
"Hideki! Thank God you're alive! We thought you were dead!" Himura said as he re-sheathed his sword and started towards her. Hideki turned to face him and he stopped dead in his tracks.
She was covered in blood, she wore a satisfied smile on her face and her eyes were red. She wasn't the same Hideki he had come to know. Himura then felt it in her ki and knew immediately what had changed.
Bloodlust. She was thirsty for blood.
She smiled at Himura, and he had to will himself not to step back from her.
"Battousai. I've always wondered what it would be like to taste your blood. I guess now I get to find out, ne?" she said. Her tone wasn't like her usual self. It didn't sound like Hideki the woman, and it didn't sound like Hideki the manslayer. It was worse; deeper, and more menacing. It sounded like the devil himself was speaking to Himura through Hideki. She flicked her blade, cleaning it of blood and face Himura. His hand went immediately to his sword.
She was going to kill him.
Himura had no desire for life. He didn't care if he died or not. The revolution had stripped him of any need to live. But he did know that he had a job to do. He had to protect Okubo. And Himura knew if Hideki killed him, then Okubo would be next. Himura couldn't allow that to happen. He crouched in his battoujutsu stance. He knew it was kill of be killed. Hand hovering over the hilt of his sword, Battousai no longer cared who it was before him, he had to protect Okubo.
Hideki saw the familiar stance and smiled. She knew full well that she couldn't dodge Battousai's battoujutsu, but she knew she could block it. Reaching down, she picked up a saya from one the bodies at her feet; she sheathed her sword in it and crouched in a battoujutsu position. Battousai's eyes narrowed at the slight girl before him just as they both charged each other, blades unsheathed and crashed into each other.
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Katsura broke through the trees just beyond the carriage that Okubo had been in. He turned and ran towards the sounds of swords clashing only to find two people locked in a bitter battle. Himura and Sakura had blades crossed and saya's locked together. Okubo stood frozen at the fight before him. He had never encountered such a battle, there was blood everywhere and the two young people who had rescued him from the Shinsengumi were now fighting each other to the death.
"Toshimichi!" Okubo turned to the voice and saw Katsura Kogoro run up to him; he was somewhat relieved to see his comrade.
"Kogoro! What the hell is going on?"
Katsura looked at the two figures, unsure what to think. He knew Battousai was ruthless... the perfect killer, but watching him fight the girl using his full strength called into question the manslayers sanity.
Their swords met, Battousai brought his saya around to complete the battoujutsu only to have it connect with Hideki's. She knew his movements, and he knew hers. Their fight would be a draw if he didn't employ brute strength. He pushed harder against his sword, knowing she wouldn't be able to match the force, she couldn't and just as predictable she crouched down, he would have been caught off balance if he didn't know she would do it. He didn't hesitate as he brought his sword down, slicing her on the shoulder, drawing blood and a grunt from his opponent.
"What's happened to that girl?" Okubo murmured to himself. Katsura watched the two people fighting to take the others life. He looked down at the bloody silver object he still held in his hands.
"Something terrible." Katsura said.
Hideki felt the steel of Battousai's blade make a gash in her shoulder, pain shot through her body as she twisted away from him. She rolled to her feet, one hand covering the shoulder where he had wounded her and turned her angry red eyes on his. She was breathing heavily, and he knew he was going to win this fight. She charged him again, he raised his sword to deliver the final blow but she dodged it, just barely. Part of her kimono was cleanly cut off and fell to the ground as she thrust her blade through Battousai's shoulder. He grunted and fell back a few steps. She withdrew her blade with a satisfied smile and increased the distance between them.
Hideki raised her blade to her lips again, and tasted the blood on it. Her face was twisted in a horrible smile, and her red eyes glinted as she enjoyed the taste and feel of killing. "Had I known how sweet your blood was, Battousai, I would have killed you long ago." She said. Himura gripped his sword tighter. He was knelling on the ground, hand to his shoulder, and he ground his teeth in frustration.
She flicked her blade again and charged. She raised her katana over her head, planning to bring it down and slice Battousai in two.
Battousai gripped his sword with both hands, and just as she was bringing her sword down he brought his up. The force of the impact ripped the blade from her hands. Himura used the opening. He released his katana allowing it to follow hers through the air. The swords flew across the road and landed some distance away. Himura didn't hesitate as he grabbed Hideki's shoulders and twisted, flipping her over his crouched form and pinning her to the ground by her shoulders. In a lightening fast motion, he unsheathed his short sword and prepared to deliver the final blow.
Hideki felt the hands on her shoulders, the ground against her back, and the weight of a man on top of her. She blinked; fear coursed through her whole body and she let out a bloodcurdling scream. All three men on the scene froze at the sound of the woman's scream.
It was a scream of absolute terror.
It was a scream that none of the men on the scene would ever forget.
Himura looked down at Hideki beneath him. The red eyes were gone; the evil look altogether was gone. In its place was absolute terror. Her blue eyes were wide, and tears were streaming down her face and she was breathing deeply, her heart pounded in her chest.
"Please, please don't." she whispered, clamping her eyes shut, closing her vision off to the impending rape. She didn't know who was on her, all she knew was the weight pressed on top of her, and her totally submissive position.
Kenshin blinked. Anger fled his mind as he looked at the girl below him. Something wasn't right. Once again, his short sword slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground. The tears in her eyes, and the absolute horror stricken face caused him to immediately leap off the girl, and back away. Hideki curled into a tight ball, hugging her knees to her chest as she whimpered and rocked back and forth.
"Sakura, what happened?" Kenshin whispered.
Katsura looked back down at the silver stick in his hand. It was coated in blood, but he could make out the decorative end. It was a woman's hair piece with a sakura blossom on the end. Katsura looked at the girl lying in the road before them, and then back to the hair piece. Everything registered in his mind.
The blood on the floor of the room where two men had been found murdered... the mutilated man wearing only a short gi....
"She's been raped." Katsura said. Okubo looked down at the girl, a sudden compassion falling upon him. No wonder she had gone insane. Katsura felt winded. He had been the cause of her suffering. It was his fault that she had been placed at that inn. It was his fault that she had been raped.
Kenshin felt an onslaught of emotions as he looked at the frightened girl before him. He was angry at himself, at Katsura, at the Shinsengumi, and the whole damn revolution. Rage caused his blood to boil and he roared within his head. Mustering all self control, Kenshin stamped down the burning rage within him as well as the urge to turn and kill the two men who were responsible for the revolution, and for Hideki's suffering.
He started towards the girl, only now noticing her injuries. Her thighs were bruised and bloody, the only sign of her lost innocence. Her shoulders were red and purple from where she was injured from his sword and from being held down. Her wrists were chafed and swollen, probably because they had been tied. Her left wrist was black and blue. Kenshin figured she had dislocated her wrist to get free of the bindings.
Hideki watched the man approach her. Nothing registered in her mind as to who it was, where she was, or what was going on around her. All she knew was that she was in the company of three men and one of them was stalking towards her. She let out a slight shriek and backed away from the approaching man, only to find her back pressed against a tree. She was trapped.
Kenshin continued towards her slowly and cautiously. He slowly took off his kimono as he drew closer. Hideki buried her face in her knees as terror caused her whole body to shake. She was going to get raped again, she was sure of it. The red headed man was taking his clothes off, what else could she think?
She was startled when she felt a small amount of extra weight placed over her, covering her bare skin. She clutched the kimono closer and looked up into compassionate amethyst eyes. In the back of her mind a voice told her she could trust the man crouching before her. She felt tears welling in her eyes as he put a reassuring hand on her uninjured shoulder.
"Sakura, no one here is going to hurt you." Kenshin said softly. He hated the look in her eyes. Absolute fear. He did all in his power to reassure her that he wasn't going to hurt her. He watched in dismay as more tears slid down her cheeks. He reached a tentative hand out and brushed one tear away. Her lower lip trembled at his soft touch, more tears spilled onto her cheeks.
"Kenshin..." she whispered. It was her first indication that she had become aware of her surroundings. She couldn't stop the onslaught of tears as they fell down her face. Needing some semblance of comfort, she practically threw herself into Kenshin's arms.
Kenshin quickly responded and held the weeping girl close. He could feel her tears as they wet his gi and the exposed skin of his chest as she kept sobbing. Overcome with grief at her pain, Kenshin's arms tightened around her and felt tears sting his own eyes.
"Himura, get her out of here." Katsura said gently, looking down at the Hitokiri before him. Katsura had never seen Himura with such a strange look on his face. Grief, anger, compassion, and hatred were all swimming in his amethyst eyes. Those eyes... Katsura hadn't seen since Himura was 14... and yet the girl in his arms brought them forth.
Kenshin merely nodded at Katsura's order, he easily scooped the girl up in his arms and began to walk back towards Kyoto.
"Take her to Tomino-sensai." Katsura said to the retreating form of Himura. He then walked over and picked up Battousai's katana and short sword. He re-sheathed the blades, hooked them into his own belt, and motioned Okubo to follow him. They left the scene as it was. The carriage stopped, the uniformed bodyguards of Okubo all dead, and the members of the Shinsengumi slaughtered.
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A.N. Well, there's the end of that chapter. We all know that Kenshin is the best; therefore I couldn't have Hideki get the better of him. I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations; I wrote it and re-wrote it over and over until I had some satisfaction with it. There's still more! No need to worry.
I am thinking of a sequel to this but the writing will have to be put on hold. I'm leaving the country next week, for 3 months, so I won't be able to write anything since I won't have a computer.
Before you panic, I plan to finish this story before I go, so don't worry!
Reviews are always welcome!
A.N. Well, here's the next chapter of my story, I hope you guys are still enjoying it. It's really dark and angst-y but that's what it was supposed to be like.
R&R!
Enjoy!
____________________________________
Secrets of the Revolution
Chapter 8
The desire to see blood coursed through her, engulfing her entire being.
"Who would have ever thought a pretty young thing such as yourself was a virgin." Shiro said maliciously in her ear as he assaulted her again. She had gone totally still, her head turned to the side and silent tears slid down her face.
'Every woman with spirit and fire could be so easily contained through this method, and it wasn't such a bad way to tame her either', Shiro thought.
Hideki's eyes were glazed over as they continued to ravish her. One of the other two men decided he wanted another go. Shiro agreed as he pulled his cloths back on. He had a mission to do, one that would put him in the history books. He left his two samurai in the room to finish their business with the girl. Feeling better than he had in a while, he gathered the remaining members of his squad and set out into the darkening evening to find Okubo.
They would only need 12 members. No one knew their plan. No one knew that Okubo was coming. And if by some chance someone did show up, Shiro silently hoped it would be Battousai. Then he himself could kill the legendary manslayer.
Shiro felt invincible as he set out with his squad into the darkening evening.
The closing of the shoji door brought Hideki back to her senses. Her attack had stopped for a moment. But she knew it was only a matter of time. She blinked. Blood pumped in her head, as the demon within her took control. She saw a hastily discarded short sword in front of her face, within arms reach, the very same one used to slice her obi off. She felt a man's weight on top of her again. Rage fuelled her movements, as she used her right hand to dislocate her left wrist in one swift movement, freeing herself from the bindings.
With her hands free, she grabbed the man by his member with one hand, grabbed the short sword in the other and exacted revenge on him by swinging the sword down between their bodies.
He opened his mouth to scream but was cut short when the sword was driven directly through his throat. Hideki relished in the feel of the sword slicing skin and bone as she twisted the blade. Blood sprayed on her face and exposed chest, but she didn't care. Pushing against the sword with all her strength, the man flew off her and hit the floor, dead. She stood up, ignoring the pain her abused body screamed as she moved, and faced the other samurai who had raped her.
He stood frozen in fear when her eyes turned to his.
She was horrifying.
Her face and chest covered in blood, her kimono still gaping open, her hips were bruised, and her thighs had blood on them. But her face was the most frightening. Her features were twisted as she smiled a smile only the devil could possess and her eyes had changed from their blue, to a menacing red.
She looks like the devil incarnated.
She was going to kill him, and there was nothing he could do about it.
He unsheathed his sword to try and protect himself. Her smile grew more frightening as she walked towards him. He thrust his sword forward, but she dodged it easily and he watched in horror as something flashed from her head. He had enough time to register that it was her silver hair piece with a decorative sakura blossom at its end before she drove it up through his chin, killing him instantly. She took the sword from his hands as he fell to the floor. Picking up the other katana and wakazashi that remained, she surveyed her damage.
"Two down, so many more left to kill." She said smiling down at the two bodies. She picked up the rope that had been used to tie her hands and wrapped it around her waist to keep the kimono shut, and left the room in search for more blood.
Shiro's blood.
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Katsura and Himura ran through the streets of Kyoto hell bent on getting to that inn and getting Hideki out. Katsura wasn't as fast a runner as Himura was, but he did have samurai blood, and with the adrenaline pumping though him right now, he was running faster. He felt a horrible cold wash over him when he heard the old doctor say squad seven. He was out the door in a heartbeat, following Himura. He had put that girl in danger and Kami-sama only knows what's happened since yesterday. She had mentioned to Himura there had been advances. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew the advances had turned badly today.
Himura never bothered to check and see if Katsura was keeping up. If push came to shove, Katsura could defend himself. The only thought going through Himura's mind was Hideki. He kept reminding himself that she could take care of herself, but he was still worried, and a nagging sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that as strong as Hideki was, she hadn't been able to protect herself that day.
If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself and he was pretty sure that he would hunt down every member of Shinsengumi squad seven and kill them with his bare hands.
The inn was on the outskirts of Kyoto. It was a stand alone building located on a major highway that lead into the city. The inn had no neighbours. It was the perfect place for weary travellers to rest.
Himura's feet ate up the earth as he continued his break neck pace to the inn, cursing its distance from the main city.
Katsura was close behind him cursing for the same reason.
They reached the inn, and the outside looked as friendly and as inviting as it should. Himura slowed his pace as he got closer to the main entrance. Something wasn't right, and as he approached he knew what. The smell of blood was in the air. He didn't hesitate as he threw the door open. The owner of the inn was sitting on the floor, his back to the wall and his head bent forward. If it wasn't for the sword that was driven through his heart and the pool of blood surrounding his body, one would have thought he was asleep. Himura's eyes widened at the site just as Katsura entered the house.
"Kami-sama, what the hell happened?" Katsura whispered. Himura didn't care what happened he wanted to know one thing and one thing only.
"SAKURA!" he bellowed and charged into the inn.
The anger he felt was unlike anything he had felt before. His amber eyes had turned feral with rage as he ran up the stairs to the second floor. He reached the landing and froze. Down the long stretch of hallway there was a trail of massacre. There were three women, all dead, swimming in pools of their own blood. Each had been killed in a different manner. Himura ran to each of them checking to see if any of them was Hideki. The first woman had her throat sliced open and a short sword was sticking out of her chest, she wasn't Hideki. The second one had a huge gash running from shoulder to hip, she wasn't Hideki. The third had been stabbed through the heart, she wasn't Hideki. He reached the third woman just as Katsura climbed the stairs, after checking downstairs for any signs of Sakura. Aside from the dead innkeeper, the lower level was empty.
"Kuso," Katsura swore under his breath, looking at the three bodies. "What caused this?"
"Not what, who?" Himura said flatly as he stood up. "None of them are Sakura." Katsura nodded and opened the door that was next to him, to start searching the rooms. The first two were empty, the third was not. He opened the door and froze.
There were two Shinsengumi samurai... dead. One wore a short gi and nothing else, and Katsura could see that he had been mutilated in his nether regions. He had a short sword stuck through his throat. The other was resting against the far wall; his head lowered and chin resting on his chest. He would have looked like he was sleeping, just like the innkeeper, if it wasn't for the blood that soaked his chest.
Katsura walked over to the man and pushed his head back. Sticking out of his chin was a small silver object. Katsura inspected the body, and the object as Himura stood in the doorway surveying the scene. There were a few drops of blood in the centre of the room, probably from the male member that lay not too far from it. He winced at the thought of the pain the man felt just before he died, then froze listening intently. He heard the sound again. It sounded like a small whimper.
Following the sound, he left the room hell bent on finding the source for the noise. He heard it again, louder. Then he sensed the person. Whoever it was, they were cowering in a closet. He threw open the door leading to the storage closet only to meet a young girl, no more than 16, with tears streaming down her cheeks, curled into a ball in the corner of the closet. She screamed when the door was thrown open and covered her head with her arms.
Katsura heard the scream just as he pulled the silver object from the man's head. He clutched it tightly in his hand before running out of the room to find Himura and, he prayed, Sakura. He found Himura standing outside a closet door, looking down at whoever was in it. Katsura came to Battousai's side and looked down at the young girl.
"Where is Sakura?" Himura asked. His voice and his eyes only terrified her even more as she tried to get further into the closet. "Where is she?!" he yelled. She whimpered again, whispering incomprehensible words. Katsura took a deep breath and knelt down before her, his eyes turning gentle and he willed his voice to be soothing as he started talking to the terrified girl.
"Please, jou-chan. If you can tell us where Sakura is, I'll personally guarantee your safety. No one will ever hurt you." Katsura said softly. The girl stopped her babbling and blinked up at the man before her. His soft eyes and gentle voice soothed her slightly. Trying to ignore the frightening man who still stood glaring down at her with yellow eyes she repeated the only word she heard before hiding in the closet.
"Okubo." She whispered. Katsura's eyes widened. Himura's heart stopped.
Shinsengumi Squad seven was gone, leaving a trail of massacre behind them, to kill Okubo Tochimichi. The only possible explanation for Hideki's absence was that she had gone, unarmed, to stop them.
Forgetting about the bloody mess the inn was in, no longer caring who had committed the murders, Himura turned on his heel and ran from the house. He just needed to see her. He would feel so much better just to see her alive. Katsura told the girl to get to Tomino-sensai's clinic as fast as she could, then left to follow Himura.
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Hideki ran at top speed through the increasing darkness. She had ditched her sandals and was running barefoot. The kimono she wore was covered in the blood of the people she had just enjoyed killing. The rope about her waist kept the kimono closed, but as she ran through the forest the material billowed behind her and her legs were exposed up to her bruised thighs but she didn't care. There was only one thought coursing through her head. Kill. She wanted nothing more than to kill. But before she could enjoy killing randomly, she had one person who she had to rid the world of.
Shiro.
As darkness settled over her, she caught up to the Shinsengumi squad as it surrounded the carriage of Okubo. The politician was standing outside his carriage and directly in front, facing him, was Shiro. Rage flooded Hideki's senses as she ran towards the group. The Imperialist bodyguards had all been slain and Okubo was the last one remaining. Shiro raised his sword above his head just as Hideki ran up behind the group. Before he could bring the sword down to kill Okubo, Hideki used one of the samurai at the back of the group as a spring and planted herself in front of Okubo and she faced him.
Shiro's eyes widened upon seeing the girl he had raped not one hour before hand standing before him, protecting Okubo. Her blue eyes were gone, replaced with horrible red. She was covered in blood, her kimono was held on by the rope that had been used to tie her hands together, and she had a frightening snarl on her face. If she had been wearing a gi and hakama and carrying a sword, Shiro probably would have though she was a man. But she wasn't. She was a weak woman he had raped before, and realized he would have to again because her fire wasn't put out, and she was unarmed. He would enjoy himself when he took her again. Her voice put a stop to his thoughts.
"You're men were quite easy to kill. And I plan to enjoy taking your life Shiro." She snarled. Her tone was deep, almost masculine. And if she wasn't wearing the kimono that just barely covered her battered body, he would have been scared. But looking at her appearance, he found himself laughing.
"You expect me to believe you killed two of my men? That's absurd. Now step aside little girl, I have a job to finish. After Okubo's dead, I'll have my fun with you again."
Hideki didn't move.
"Move or I'll kill you." Shiro growled. Hideki cocked a grin. Her red eyes flashed as she watched the man before her.
"Just try." She said. Shiro growled with rage and lunged at the girl. She sidestepped easily and grabbed the wrist of the hand that held his sword. Pivoting on her foot, she used her elbow and her full body weight thrown behind it to break Shiro's arm. He screamed in pain and dropped his sword. She retrieved it from the ground and immediately plunged it through his gut. He coughed blood and stared down at the girl before him. She smiled and pulled his sword out slowly. He staggered back a few steps and watched her.
Hideki raised the blood soaked sword to her lips and flecked her tongue over it, tasting Shiro's blood and then with a quick flick of her wrist she cleaned the sword of blood. Shiro's eyes widened at the gesture.
Only a highly skilled sword master could clean the blade of a katana with the flick of a wrist.
"Who are you?" he whispered, still clutching his bleeding abdomen. She smiled a smile of pure evil.
"I'm your greatest fear."
The last image Shiro saw was his blade swinging towards him.
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Himura tore through the forest towards the road where Okubo was supposed to be travelling on to get to Kyoto. He had opted for a lesser known, and rarely travelled stretch of road to gain access to Kyoto unnoticed. Squad seven had somehow found out about his arrival and decided to take matters into their own hands. Himura assumed Hideki had gone to stop them.
Himura heard swords clashing not too far ahead. He increased his pace and broke through the forest and found himself on the road, just behind the samurais which surrounded Okubo and Hideki.
Hideki was already battling one of the Shinsengumi. One lay dead at her feet. She was wielding someone's sword as she fought. Himura forgot all that he had seen at the inn as relief washed over him upon seeing her alive. He didn't stop to think has he plunged head first into the battle.
Himura drew his sword, the sound caused a few Shinsengumi to turn their heads, and he easily cut one Shinsengumi's head off before the man could draw his sword. He thrust his sword through the heart of another then withdrawing his blade and with one quick movement he re-sheathed his katana and prepared to administer his battoujutsu on a charging samurai. A flash of light and the man was sliced from hip the shoulder, blood sprayed everywhere. He turned to see that Hideki had managed to fight them all off, she was looking down at the body of her latest kill, her back to Himura.
"Hideki! Thank God you're alive! We thought you were dead!" Himura said as he re-sheathed his sword and started towards her. Hideki turned to face him and he stopped dead in his tracks.
She was covered in blood, she wore a satisfied smile on her face and her eyes were red. She wasn't the same Hideki he had come to know. Himura then felt it in her ki and knew immediately what had changed.
Bloodlust. She was thirsty for blood.
She smiled at Himura, and he had to will himself not to step back from her.
"Battousai. I've always wondered what it would be like to taste your blood. I guess now I get to find out, ne?" she said. Her tone wasn't like her usual self. It didn't sound like Hideki the woman, and it didn't sound like Hideki the manslayer. It was worse; deeper, and more menacing. It sounded like the devil himself was speaking to Himura through Hideki. She flicked her blade, cleaning it of blood and face Himura. His hand went immediately to his sword.
She was going to kill him.
Himura had no desire for life. He didn't care if he died or not. The revolution had stripped him of any need to live. But he did know that he had a job to do. He had to protect Okubo. And Himura knew if Hideki killed him, then Okubo would be next. Himura couldn't allow that to happen. He crouched in his battoujutsu stance. He knew it was kill of be killed. Hand hovering over the hilt of his sword, Battousai no longer cared who it was before him, he had to protect Okubo.
Hideki saw the familiar stance and smiled. She knew full well that she couldn't dodge Battousai's battoujutsu, but she knew she could block it. Reaching down, she picked up a saya from one the bodies at her feet; she sheathed her sword in it and crouched in a battoujutsu position. Battousai's eyes narrowed at the slight girl before him just as they both charged each other, blades unsheathed and crashed into each other.
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Katsura broke through the trees just beyond the carriage that Okubo had been in. He turned and ran towards the sounds of swords clashing only to find two people locked in a bitter battle. Himura and Sakura had blades crossed and saya's locked together. Okubo stood frozen at the fight before him. He had never encountered such a battle, there was blood everywhere and the two young people who had rescued him from the Shinsengumi were now fighting each other to the death.
"Toshimichi!" Okubo turned to the voice and saw Katsura Kogoro run up to him; he was somewhat relieved to see his comrade.
"Kogoro! What the hell is going on?"
Katsura looked at the two figures, unsure what to think. He knew Battousai was ruthless... the perfect killer, but watching him fight the girl using his full strength called into question the manslayers sanity.
Their swords met, Battousai brought his saya around to complete the battoujutsu only to have it connect with Hideki's. She knew his movements, and he knew hers. Their fight would be a draw if he didn't employ brute strength. He pushed harder against his sword, knowing she wouldn't be able to match the force, she couldn't and just as predictable she crouched down, he would have been caught off balance if he didn't know she would do it. He didn't hesitate as he brought his sword down, slicing her on the shoulder, drawing blood and a grunt from his opponent.
"What's happened to that girl?" Okubo murmured to himself. Katsura watched the two people fighting to take the others life. He looked down at the bloody silver object he still held in his hands.
"Something terrible." Katsura said.
Hideki felt the steel of Battousai's blade make a gash in her shoulder, pain shot through her body as she twisted away from him. She rolled to her feet, one hand covering the shoulder where he had wounded her and turned her angry red eyes on his. She was breathing heavily, and he knew he was going to win this fight. She charged him again, he raised his sword to deliver the final blow but she dodged it, just barely. Part of her kimono was cleanly cut off and fell to the ground as she thrust her blade through Battousai's shoulder. He grunted and fell back a few steps. She withdrew her blade with a satisfied smile and increased the distance between them.
Hideki raised her blade to her lips again, and tasted the blood on it. Her face was twisted in a horrible smile, and her red eyes glinted as she enjoyed the taste and feel of killing. "Had I known how sweet your blood was, Battousai, I would have killed you long ago." She said. Himura gripped his sword tighter. He was knelling on the ground, hand to his shoulder, and he ground his teeth in frustration.
She flicked her blade again and charged. She raised her katana over her head, planning to bring it down and slice Battousai in two.
Battousai gripped his sword with both hands, and just as she was bringing her sword down he brought his up. The force of the impact ripped the blade from her hands. Himura used the opening. He released his katana allowing it to follow hers through the air. The swords flew across the road and landed some distance away. Himura didn't hesitate as he grabbed Hideki's shoulders and twisted, flipping her over his crouched form and pinning her to the ground by her shoulders. In a lightening fast motion, he unsheathed his short sword and prepared to deliver the final blow.
Hideki felt the hands on her shoulders, the ground against her back, and the weight of a man on top of her. She blinked; fear coursed through her whole body and she let out a bloodcurdling scream. All three men on the scene froze at the sound of the woman's scream.
It was a scream of absolute terror.
It was a scream that none of the men on the scene would ever forget.
Himura looked down at Hideki beneath him. The red eyes were gone; the evil look altogether was gone. In its place was absolute terror. Her blue eyes were wide, and tears were streaming down her face and she was breathing deeply, her heart pounded in her chest.
"Please, please don't." she whispered, clamping her eyes shut, closing her vision off to the impending rape. She didn't know who was on her, all she knew was the weight pressed on top of her, and her totally submissive position.
Kenshin blinked. Anger fled his mind as he looked at the girl below him. Something wasn't right. Once again, his short sword slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground. The tears in her eyes, and the absolute horror stricken face caused him to immediately leap off the girl, and back away. Hideki curled into a tight ball, hugging her knees to her chest as she whimpered and rocked back and forth.
"Sakura, what happened?" Kenshin whispered.
Katsura looked back down at the silver stick in his hand. It was coated in blood, but he could make out the decorative end. It was a woman's hair piece with a sakura blossom on the end. Katsura looked at the girl lying in the road before them, and then back to the hair piece. Everything registered in his mind.
The blood on the floor of the room where two men had been found murdered... the mutilated man wearing only a short gi....
"She's been raped." Katsura said. Okubo looked down at the girl, a sudden compassion falling upon him. No wonder she had gone insane. Katsura felt winded. He had been the cause of her suffering. It was his fault that she had been placed at that inn. It was his fault that she had been raped.
Kenshin felt an onslaught of emotions as he looked at the frightened girl before him. He was angry at himself, at Katsura, at the Shinsengumi, and the whole damn revolution. Rage caused his blood to boil and he roared within his head. Mustering all self control, Kenshin stamped down the burning rage within him as well as the urge to turn and kill the two men who were responsible for the revolution, and for Hideki's suffering.
He started towards the girl, only now noticing her injuries. Her thighs were bruised and bloody, the only sign of her lost innocence. Her shoulders were red and purple from where she was injured from his sword and from being held down. Her wrists were chafed and swollen, probably because they had been tied. Her left wrist was black and blue. Kenshin figured she had dislocated her wrist to get free of the bindings.
Hideki watched the man approach her. Nothing registered in her mind as to who it was, where she was, or what was going on around her. All she knew was that she was in the company of three men and one of them was stalking towards her. She let out a slight shriek and backed away from the approaching man, only to find her back pressed against a tree. She was trapped.
Kenshin continued towards her slowly and cautiously. He slowly took off his kimono as he drew closer. Hideki buried her face in her knees as terror caused her whole body to shake. She was going to get raped again, she was sure of it. The red headed man was taking his clothes off, what else could she think?
She was startled when she felt a small amount of extra weight placed over her, covering her bare skin. She clutched the kimono closer and looked up into compassionate amethyst eyes. In the back of her mind a voice told her she could trust the man crouching before her. She felt tears welling in her eyes as he put a reassuring hand on her uninjured shoulder.
"Sakura, no one here is going to hurt you." Kenshin said softly. He hated the look in her eyes. Absolute fear. He did all in his power to reassure her that he wasn't going to hurt her. He watched in dismay as more tears slid down her cheeks. He reached a tentative hand out and brushed one tear away. Her lower lip trembled at his soft touch, more tears spilled onto her cheeks.
"Kenshin..." she whispered. It was her first indication that she had become aware of her surroundings. She couldn't stop the onslaught of tears as they fell down her face. Needing some semblance of comfort, she practically threw herself into Kenshin's arms.
Kenshin quickly responded and held the weeping girl close. He could feel her tears as they wet his gi and the exposed skin of his chest as she kept sobbing. Overcome with grief at her pain, Kenshin's arms tightened around her and felt tears sting his own eyes.
"Himura, get her out of here." Katsura said gently, looking down at the Hitokiri before him. Katsura had never seen Himura with such a strange look on his face. Grief, anger, compassion, and hatred were all swimming in his amethyst eyes. Those eyes... Katsura hadn't seen since Himura was 14... and yet the girl in his arms brought them forth.
Kenshin merely nodded at Katsura's order, he easily scooped the girl up in his arms and began to walk back towards Kyoto.
"Take her to Tomino-sensai." Katsura said to the retreating form of Himura. He then walked over and picked up Battousai's katana and short sword. He re-sheathed the blades, hooked them into his own belt, and motioned Okubo to follow him. They left the scene as it was. The carriage stopped, the uniformed bodyguards of Okubo all dead, and the members of the Shinsengumi slaughtered.
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A.N. Well, there's the end of that chapter. We all know that Kenshin is the best; therefore I couldn't have Hideki get the better of him. I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations; I wrote it and re-wrote it over and over until I had some satisfaction with it. There's still more! No need to worry.
I am thinking of a sequel to this but the writing will have to be put on hold. I'm leaving the country next week, for 3 months, so I won't be able to write anything since I won't have a computer.
Before you panic, I plan to finish this story before I go, so don't worry!
Reviews are always welcome!
