Disclaimer: *whimper* do I have to…? Fine, fine, I do not own Kenshin or any other characters, happy? *sigh*
Here I go with my craziness, starting a new story because…[insert reason here]. This is my first Rurouni Kenshin fic, it takes place during the Revolution, revolves mostly around 14 year old Kenshin, how he turned into the cold-blooded murderer known as the Battousai. Here goes!
By the way, any information you may have of Kenshin's past, feel free to correct me or submit info. Thanx!
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Silence of the Heart
Beginnings
By Dark-Coyote
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"No." Hiko stated when Kenshin asked to join the Revolution."Master!" Kenshin exclaimed.
"You should be thinking of your training, not worrying about outside affairs." Hiko turns his back on him.
"But now a lot of people are being dragged into the fighting and getting killed! The whole idea behind the Hiten Mitsurugi school is to protect people from the suffering of the ages! If I can't use my sword now, when can I? Master!!" Pleaded Kenshin.
"If you're telling me why, defeat me now and go." Kenshin whacked Hiko from behind with his sheathed sword. Hiko whirled around.
"That was for real!" Hiko raged.
"Because you don't understand!"
"You're the one who doesn't understand! Fine, but because of the strength of the Hiten Mitsurugi School, you have to be sure you'll win before you take sides! I'm talking about the landing of the Black Ships! Do you understand me? In other words—"
"I don't understand!" People are suffering before my eyes! They're in misery! I can't leave them as they are, no matter what the reason!" Argued Kenshin.
Kenshin woke up in cold sweat, his eyes large and bright.
"Kuso," he muttered, then caught himself, swearing was not a habit of his. He had only left his master, Hiko Seijuurou, about two days ago, and he's already starting to fell like that he made a mistake somewhere along the line.
He sighed, then raised his hands to rub his eyes. The light of dawn was already beginning to shine on the distant horizon, and today, he would make it there, to Kyoto, the place where he dreamed to be, a place where he could put his abilities to test and help carve the way to the new era.
He set off on foot, just like the way he had traveled the past two days, towards Kyoto. It was midmorning by the time he arrived at Choushuu, a group of armed men were gathered there, obviously here for the same reason he was.
Two men came over a hill, conversing.
"I came all the way from Kyoto because you said you had something to show me. What is this, Shinsaku?" said one of the two men.
"You'll see. This is the
strength of the new era. The Kiheitai!" Said the other man. "Birth or status
means nothing! Anyone can join my Kiheitai if they have the ambition and the
strength.
"Certainly
after 300 years of peace, they could be better than the soft samurai. But will
this really work?" questioned the first speaker.
"You worry too much. Look, even children." The man gestured at Kenshin, and beckoned him forward. Kenshin stepped forward, his sword strapped on his side.
"The kid brought his own sword. Give it a try, kid." A man laughed. "I'll give you a ryo if you cut it in half.
Kenshin gazed at his target, studying it. It was a thick wooden pole wrapped up in ropes. He slices the pole in halves with one stroke, and obliterated one half with his scabbard.
"Shinsaku." One of the two men muttered. Kenshin turned towards the man who had promised him a ryo.
"One ryo." The man looked flabbergasts.
"Uh—"
"I'm taking this boy to Kyoto." One of the two men led Kenshin away from the others, the other followed suit.
Dinner was arranged and Kenshin found himself sitting with the two men from the morning, whom had introduced themselves as Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogoro. Katsura was the leader of the Ishin Shishi, which was the Kenshin's reason for coming to Kyoto.
"So that was the Hiten Mitsurugi School. I've heard of it, but I didn't know it truly existed . . . But let me ask you something. Have you ever killed a man with this Hiten Mitsurugi School?" Asked Katsura. Kenshin shook his head.
"No."
"Do you think you could?"
"If with my own dirty sword and the lives I take, I could pave the way for a new era in which all can live in peace—"
"I see." Katsura said, "we're leaving for Kyoto first thing in the morning. Take a room upstairs and rest." Kenshin left through the doorway and went upstairs.
"If you need Hitokiri that bad, you should do it yourself. When you were in Edo you were good enough to work your way up to the top of the Shindon Munnen school Renbeikan. Except for Sakamoto Ryouma of the Hokushin Ittori school, you never lost." Said Takasugi. Katsura furrowed his brows and replied:
"If I could, I would. But I'm
the head of the Choushuu Ishin Shishi now."
"Yeah. That's right." Retorted Takasugi, "You're the Choushuu shrine at the
Bakumatsu festival. No one will carry a shrine that's covered in blood. So
you're going to ruin that boy's life just so you can stay clean. If it means
being driven into the jaws of death, or leaving a name that will shame
generations to come, you should draw your own sword."
"Don't think I haven't thought of that. Today is the anniversary of the death
of Katsura Kogorou the swordsman."
Upstairs, Kenshin sat at the corner of his room, his gaze unfocused. Tomorrow he would begin his first day as a member of the Ishin Shishi.
All his life, he had really thought he was the 'Baka Deshi' he was told he was, but the appraising look he had gotten from Katsura and Takasugi that morning told him something else. Maybe he wasn't as stupid as he thought…
Kenshin shifted uneasily, he had a sinking suspicion that the two men were probably talking about him right now. He looked down at his cloth, and grimaced, he hardly ever cared what he wore as long as it was comfortable for practicing swordsmanship, but he had hoped to have a good impression on the first day, but traveling just ruined it.
He laid down on his futon and dozed off, awaiting the next day.
The next morning, he again traveled by foot, along with a few others, into the city of Kyoto.
"Hey shorty!" One of the other men taunted, "How old are you? Ten?"
Kenshin flushed, and ignored the comment. He was already dead nervous about today, and the others aren't making it any easier for him. He gritted his teeth and walked on.
Fifteen minutes later, they stopped in front of an inn. The landlady came out to greet them when she saw it was Katsura. He eyes roamed over the newly recruited members, lingered on Kenshin, and then smile a wide, warm, motherly smile. She was introduced as Okami.
Okami ushered everyone in and closed the doors, checking quickly outside, for any danger. Finding none, she retreated into the inn.
Kenshin looked at his surroundings, he was already getting stares from the other men at the inn, just great, this was not a good day…
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Umm…Good? Bad? Lacking info? Do I need mental help? No, wait, scratch that. If anyone has any suggestions, do tell. NO! DICEN! AWAY! *sweatdrops* I shouldn't have given my muses sugar, this morning. *pales* NOT THE T.V.! NOOOOO! Uhh, please review! *waves* Ja ne!
REVIEW! Just reach down…and click…that's right!
