Chapter 2: The Two Clash.
Battousai let out a laugh and looked Kenshin over. "Well then, Mr. Battousai, will you tell me why you are getting groceries from a place such as this, then?" he said, still looking Kenshin over, hardly believing that he was the Battousai.
Kenshin smiled. "I am getting supplies for dinner tonight, for Miss Kaoru, that I am." he said, shifting the weight to his right side.
"Who is Miss Kaoru?" he asked, still acting slightly friendly.
Kenshin smiled. "She is the assistant head of the Kamiya Dojo, that she is. She teaches swordfighting to young people, stating that a sword is a tool used to save people with. It is known as the Kamiya Kasshin Style, that it is." he said, still smiling.
Battousai let out another small laugh. "Why are you around weaklings such as these? I thought you were the Battousai, Hitokiri." he said.
Kenshin laughed again, this time without a smile. "I told you that I was the Battousai. I am no longer like that." he said, his eyes starting to narrow.
All of the sudden, a voice called out from behind Kenshin. "Kenshin! Where are you, Kenshin?" the voice said.
Kenshin turned, and Battousai looked to where Kenshin was looking. A short boy, about ten or twelve, was weaving through the crowd, calling for Kenshin. The boy had short black hair, that was spikey and slightly fuzzy. He wore a yellowish kimono top with green legings.
Kenshin called back, "Yahiko! I'm over here!"
The boy ran over to where the two were, looking at Battousai. He leaned toward Kenshin. "Who's that guy, Kenshin?" he asked in a low voice.
Kenshin looked down. "That is Mr..." he turned to Battousai, slightly smiling. "What did you say your name was again?" he asked Battousai.
Battousai stood, standing taller than Kenshin and the boy, Yahiko. He looked down at them. "If you must call me anything other than Battousai, call me Man-Slayer. Call me nothing else." he said in a cold tone.
Yahiko smiled. "Not another Battousai imitator." he said to Kenshin. "I thought you said there were none of them left." he said again, clearly letting Battousai hear him.
Kenshin looked down at Yahiko. "Be quiet, Yahiko. I fear that this man is no ordinary Man-Slayer, that I do." he said to Yahiko.
Yahiko looked up at Kenshin, his smile growing. "But I bet you could kick his a-" he started to say, but Kenshin put a hand over his mouth to keep him from going on.
"Yahiko, go get Miss Kaoru and leave off for the dojo. I will trail behind, in case this man tries to attack, that I will." he said in a very quiet voice to Yahiko.
Battousai acted as though he had not heard him, and leaned back against a wall. He continued to listen.
"Take these, go find Miss Kaoru, and leave." Kenshin continued to say to Yahiko, handing him the package of food.
Yahiko nodded, took the groceries, and set off, headed in the direction he come from. He disappeared into the crowd after a while.
Kenshin then turned to Battousai. "Well, Mr. Man-Slayer, I hope you find it right in your heart to stop killing, that I do." he said.
Battousai looked down. "I'll think about it, Hitokiri." he said in a bored voice, as if dismissing Kenshin from his company.
Kenshin nodded. "I hope we meet again, Mr. Man-Slayer, that I do." he said with a smile. He bowed slightly and ran off in the direction Yahiko took off in.
Battousai waited for a minute, then followed.
He followed behind Kenshin for some time, seeing two other figures ahead, one short, probably Yahiko, and the other almost as tall as Kenshin. He watched and followed silently, ducking out of sight a few times, Kenshin was checking behind them every so often.
Finally, after what seemed like an hour of walking, Battousai had arrived at what seemed to be a large dojo. He knew that this had to be the Kamiya dojo Kenshin was speaking of. Battousai ducked out of sight, near the entrance, but still nowhere to be spotted by anyone. The other person Kenshin was traveling with was a girl, about seventeen, with blueish eyes and long black hair.
When Yahiko disappeared into the dojo, he come out a few moments later with a tall man, with white clothes and brown eyes and hair. The man talked with Kenshin and the girl for a few minutes, and Battousai was sure that Kenshin was talking to them about the Man-Slayer he had met in town.
Battousai laughed to himself as he waited for them to go into the dojo, but only the man, Yahiko, and the girl left. Kenshin stayed outside, looking into the air, as if expecting something.
Battousai shifted slightly where he sat, rustling the leaves a bit, and got a better view. Kenshin was standing tall, his left hand on his sword and his right near the hilt, as if expecting an attack. Battousai recognized this stance from the main part of the Hiten Mitsuruugi Ryuu, a very fast-paced sword technique. The part it was from, Battou-Jutsu, was all based on an extremely fast sword draw, when an enemy charges at you. Battousai also knew that once the swing was performed, the user was slightly off balance, but that was a small price to pay for an attack that only required one swing.
Battousai watched Kenshin hold this stance for some time, until it was quite dark out. Kenshin finally moved. Kenshin removed his hand from his sword, relaxing and walked into the dojo. The door slid shut, and the lights blew out.
Battousai laughed and walked out of his hiding place. He walked over to the door, and knocked on it. At once, it slid open, and Kenshin was standing in the frame.
"I knew that you were out there, that I did. I heard you miles away." Kenshin said with a slight smile. "Why did you follow Kaoru, Yahiko and I to this place?" he questioned Battousai.
Battousai smiled, one with a sinister appearance. "I want to fight you, Hitokiri. I want to kill you." he said, thinking of drawing his sword.
Kenshin laughed, with a slightly cold tone to it. "I'm sorry, Man- Slayer, but I do not fight to kill anymore, that I do not." he said, still laughing slightly.
Battousai's eyes widened. "Am I actually hearing this, Hitokiri?" he said, almost refusing to believe it. "Am I hearing that Hitokiri Battousai, the famous Man-Slayer has gone soft??" he asked again, to see whether it was true.
Kenshin merely nodded. He put a hand on his sword, just to threaten a little. "But, I will defend this land, and anyone on it, that I will. If you wish to taste the ground, please, feel free to attack me." he said, his voice not changing one bit.
Battousai laughed. "As soon as I am done killing you, Hitokiri, I'll burn this dojo down, and kill Kaoru, Yahiko, and that tall man." he said, almost longing to see Kenshin's reaction.
Kenshin's eyes became as cold as ice, and his voice changed. It became colder and more deadly sounding, much like the voice of a true Man- Slayer as he spoke. "You may kill me if you can, that you may. You can burn down this place and demolish the area around it. But I will not let you hurt Miss Kaoru, Sanosuke, or Yahiko. You will not hurt my friends. They are innocent." with those words, he drew his sword.
Only then did Battousai realize that this man was serious about not killing anymore. The blade was a reverse blade sword, with the normally sharp side dull, and the dull side sharpened. Kenshin put the blade in a position of the Hiten Mitsuruugi, one of a lesser part of Mitsuruugi than Battou-Jutsu.
Battousai waited for Kenshin to attack. A cold wind blew leaves over the battle site, and all of the sudden, Battousai felt an agonizing pain in his face. Kenshin was gone, and was now behind him, his sword slightly bloody. Battousai reached up to feel that his nose had been broken, and was bleeding freely.
Kenshin turned to face Battousai, his now amber eyes turning cold and narowing. "Do you wish to continue fighting?" he said in the same cold as ice voice.
Battousai laughed and snapped his nose back into place. He charged at Kenshin at his top speed, one that Kenshin's fighting only just rivaled. In one swift move, Battousai hit Kenshin hard across the neck.
But he felt no solid mater there. Battousai stopped, his feet digging into the ground and he looked around. No traces of Kenshin were to be seen.
Just then, a swishing noise was over Battousai, so he looked up. There, fifteen feet above him, Kenshin was perched in a tree. Kenshin shook his head, and shot towards Battousai, unable to be seen. The dull edge of Kenshin's sword hit Battousai in the left shoulder hard, but Battousai was ready. As soon as he saw Kenshin, he drew one of his own swords. As soon as the dull blade hit his shoulder, he sent the blade at Kenshin's chest.
But Kenshin evaded another attack, his chest only just missing the sword blade. But he didn't completely evade it. The blade sunk into Kenshin's upper right arm, and it began bleeding. Kenshin and Batousai both backed off of their targets, panting and bleeding.
"So, you are better than I thought, Man-Slayer." said Kenshin, breathing heavily.
Battousai laughed. "As are you, Hitokiri. It feels good to have an opponent that actually can hurt me for once." said he with a slight chuckle, he too breathing heavily.
Just then, Battousai felt something hit him in the back of the head. It felt like a tree hit him. He turned around, and the tall man with brown hair was standing there. Battousai laughed at seeing the man there.
The man, Sanosuke, laughed slightly. "That's the first person I've seen take a direct blow to the head, unprepared, even." he said with a slight smile.
Kenshin looked over at the man. "Sano. Please, let us fight." he said, closing his eyes. "I will not be long." he said again, opening his eyes and looking directly at Battousai.
Sanosuke backed off. "Sure, Kenshin. Whatever you say." he said, and turned to leave.
Battousai called out to the man. "As soon as I kill Hitokiri, I'll be after you, Sanosuke."
Sano turned, smiling slightly. "Then I won't worry about it, will I?" he said, smiling even wider. "Look behind you." he said again.
Batousai looked, and he saw Kenshin for a split second, his blade in the sheath. All of the sudden, Kenshin was directly in front of him, preparing the move of the Battou-Jutsu. Battousai saw the blade come out, and he leaned backward as far as he could. He saw something miss by several inches.
Battousai began to laugh when he felt a pain, somewhere in his chest. He looked down, and saw Kenshin's sword, the dull edge, right at his ribs, sunken in a bit. Battousai dropped to the ground, his vision blackening slightly. He looked up at Kenshin. "How...?" he asked, his vision blurring even more.
Kenshin looked down, sheathing his sword. "You were prepared for a single Battou-Jutsu. I used my sheath first, then my sword. A double reverse Battou-Jutsu. I knew you would dodge the first strike, as I have had one more encounter like this before." he said, his voice lightening up slightly.
Battousai clenched his fists from the pain, and managed to speak again. "Damn...you... Hito-"
"Goodnight, Man-Slayer." said Kenshin, as Battousai collapsed from his injuries.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Quiet! You three dimwits will wake him!"
"So what? He's a bad guy, Kaoru!"
"That doesn't mean that you can't be nice to him...look at him!"
"Miss Kaoru does have a point, Yahiko."
Battousai stirred, but kept his eyes shut. He wanted to listen to more.
"Is he awake?" Kaoru said softly.
"I don't think so." Battousai heard the voice of Sanosuke say.
"Well, anyway," he heard Kaoru say. "you two really beat him up. Look! He's got four broken ribs, and a broken nose. And the back of his skull is cracked, Sanosuke!" he heard Kaoru say yet again.
Battousai heard some guilty rustling noises, and a scoff. "So what?" Sanosuke said. "The guy tried to kill us." he said again.
"Did you really break his ribs, Kenshin?" said a higher voice, probably Yahiko's.
Kenshin said nothing for a minute, then he said, "While hurting this man may have been a good thing for us, I regret that I did what I had to, that I do"
Battousai sat up and rubbed his head. He looked at Kenshin, then at Sanosuke, then to Yahiko. A voice from his left startled him.
"Goood morning! You sure were beaten up, sir."
Battousai looked to his left, and saw Kaoru sitting on the side of a small bed, the one that he was on.
"How are you feeling?" Kaoru asked.
Battousai climbed out of the bed and cracked his neck. "What's it to you?" he growled, too tired to be even remotely friendly to anyone.
Kaoru grabbed Battousai by the shoulders and heaved him back on the bed. "You should stay seated for a while. You have four broken ribs." she said as she looked into his eyes.
Battousai shrugged and got back up. He looked around. "Where are my swords?" he asked, looking directly at Kenshin.
Kenshin smiled and held up two swords on a strap in an "X" pattern in his right hand, and two others in his left hand, and shook them slightly. "Looking for these?" he asked, still smiling.
Battousai started to walk over to Kenshin, but his chest felt like it was about to explode from pain, and he fell back onto the bed. "Dammit, Hitokiri! Why'd you have to go and break my ribs!?" he shouted at Kenshin.
Kenshin smiled and pointed down. "That was not I. Look." he said, starting to laugh.
Battousai looked down, and saw Yahiko, standing there with his fist out and clenched. It took Battousai a few moments to realize what he had done. "You little brat!" shouted Battousai. "I'm going to kill you!" he said again, as he started to get up.
But Sano and Kenshin both grabed Battousai by the shoulders and pushed him onto the bed.
"Lie still, will you!?" said Kaoru, who had helped Sano and Kenshin. "It's bad enough that I'm actually helping you, but you're struggling, and that makes it worse!" she said.
Battousai laughed. "Ok. I'll stay here for a while. Happy, Kaoru?" he said, closing his eyes.
Kaoru sighed and walked out of the room. Sano and Yahiko followed, but Kenshin stayed where he was.
"Listen, Man-Slayer. I will leave as soon as I am assured that you are staying here." he said. Now, are you going to stay in this room until your wounds heal?" he then asked.
Battousai laughed. "I guess I'm going nowhere then, Hitokiri. Kaoru is going to keep me here for a while, though. I guess I'll just stay around here for a while." he said, looking at Kenshin.
Kenshin smiled warmly, one that expressed friendliness. "Miss Kaoru can be one tough girl sometimes, that she can." he said, scratching the back of his head. "She makes me work here often. But I like doing chores for Miss Kaoru, that I do."
Battousai shook his head. "Whatever, Himura." he said, amazed that he didn't call him Hitokiri. "I think I'll get away at the first chance I get."
Kenshin smiled wider. "I see you have gotten to stop calling me Hitokiri, that I do." he said, grinning slightly.
Battousai gave a weak smile. He was a bit new to being kind to anyone. "Sure. I'll try to stop calling you by your former name, Kenshin." he said.
Kenshin smiled and left the room. Battousai sat by himself for a few minutes, thinking about the people here, before looking around. Next to the door where Kenshin and the others left at, Battousai saw his swords, leaning against the wall.
Battousai stood up and walked over to the swords. His ribs still hurt a bit from where Yahiko had punched him, but he bent down and picked them up. He put the two free swords at his side, and then put the strapped swords on his back. He then sat down near the door and waited for the night to come. As soon as dusk fell, Battousai opened the door and looked around. Outside, he saw Kaoru and Yahiko asleep on the floor. At the far wall, he saw Kenshin, resting against the wall in a sitting position. Sanosuke was nowhere to be see.
Battousai crept out of the room silently, unaware that Kenshin was watching his every move, and he was trying not to make a sound. Yahiko looked up and stared directly at Battousai. "That you, Sano?" he asked Battousai quietly.
Battousai nodded, then when he realized that Yahiko couldn't see properly, he said back, "Yeah, kid. It's me. I just have to get out for a bit. Go back to sleep."
Yahiko yawned. "Whatever." he said sleepily, and rolled over and began snoring again.
Battousai sighed and continued to walk. He slipped past Kenshin, and out into the night. He took a few steps out of the dojo, and headed to the gate. He tried to open the gate silently, but it creaked a little as it swung open. He rushed past the gate, stopping when he saw Sanosuke, standing by a tree, looking directly at him.
"I knew you'd try and escape." Sano said, still looking at Battousai. "It seems like the thing you'd do, doesn't it? Act as a coward after being beaten once by Kenshin." he said again, still looking at Battousai.
Battousai laughed and started walking again. "Sanosuke, I don't want to deal with you. Just leave me be." he said as he continued walking.
Sano moved in front of Battousai, almost as tall as him. "Listen, you. I don't care if you are a Man-Slayer. You gave your word to Kenshin and the others, so-" he said, but Battousai cut him off by grabbing his arm and throwing Sano behind him.
"And listen you! I'm tired of you people. Just get away, and I'll find it right not to kill all of you." he said after tossing Sanosuke away. "And tell Miss Kaoru I said good-bye. And the same for Hitokiri, you hear?" he said as he walked away.
Sano got to his feet and started toward Battousai like he'd stop him. But Battousai turned and looked Sanosuke in the eyes. "You are truly strong indeed, friend. I hope that after I find what I am looking for, we will be able to fight each other. Not to the death, but a friendly fight." he said as he turned once again.
Battousai heard Sanosuke scoff. "Yeah, right. I'll see you later." Sano said, before turning and walking back to the dojo.
Battousai shook his head and headed back towards Tokyo. He was in the mood for killing someone.
Battousai let out a laugh and looked Kenshin over. "Well then, Mr. Battousai, will you tell me why you are getting groceries from a place such as this, then?" he said, still looking Kenshin over, hardly believing that he was the Battousai.
Kenshin smiled. "I am getting supplies for dinner tonight, for Miss Kaoru, that I am." he said, shifting the weight to his right side.
"Who is Miss Kaoru?" he asked, still acting slightly friendly.
Kenshin smiled. "She is the assistant head of the Kamiya Dojo, that she is. She teaches swordfighting to young people, stating that a sword is a tool used to save people with. It is known as the Kamiya Kasshin Style, that it is." he said, still smiling.
Battousai let out another small laugh. "Why are you around weaklings such as these? I thought you were the Battousai, Hitokiri." he said.
Kenshin laughed again, this time without a smile. "I told you that I was the Battousai. I am no longer like that." he said, his eyes starting to narrow.
All of the sudden, a voice called out from behind Kenshin. "Kenshin! Where are you, Kenshin?" the voice said.
Kenshin turned, and Battousai looked to where Kenshin was looking. A short boy, about ten or twelve, was weaving through the crowd, calling for Kenshin. The boy had short black hair, that was spikey and slightly fuzzy. He wore a yellowish kimono top with green legings.
Kenshin called back, "Yahiko! I'm over here!"
The boy ran over to where the two were, looking at Battousai. He leaned toward Kenshin. "Who's that guy, Kenshin?" he asked in a low voice.
Kenshin looked down. "That is Mr..." he turned to Battousai, slightly smiling. "What did you say your name was again?" he asked Battousai.
Battousai stood, standing taller than Kenshin and the boy, Yahiko. He looked down at them. "If you must call me anything other than Battousai, call me Man-Slayer. Call me nothing else." he said in a cold tone.
Yahiko smiled. "Not another Battousai imitator." he said to Kenshin. "I thought you said there were none of them left." he said again, clearly letting Battousai hear him.
Kenshin looked down at Yahiko. "Be quiet, Yahiko. I fear that this man is no ordinary Man-Slayer, that I do." he said to Yahiko.
Yahiko looked up at Kenshin, his smile growing. "But I bet you could kick his a-" he started to say, but Kenshin put a hand over his mouth to keep him from going on.
"Yahiko, go get Miss Kaoru and leave off for the dojo. I will trail behind, in case this man tries to attack, that I will." he said in a very quiet voice to Yahiko.
Battousai acted as though he had not heard him, and leaned back against a wall. He continued to listen.
"Take these, go find Miss Kaoru, and leave." Kenshin continued to say to Yahiko, handing him the package of food.
Yahiko nodded, took the groceries, and set off, headed in the direction he come from. He disappeared into the crowd after a while.
Kenshin then turned to Battousai. "Well, Mr. Man-Slayer, I hope you find it right in your heart to stop killing, that I do." he said.
Battousai looked down. "I'll think about it, Hitokiri." he said in a bored voice, as if dismissing Kenshin from his company.
Kenshin nodded. "I hope we meet again, Mr. Man-Slayer, that I do." he said with a smile. He bowed slightly and ran off in the direction Yahiko took off in.
Battousai waited for a minute, then followed.
He followed behind Kenshin for some time, seeing two other figures ahead, one short, probably Yahiko, and the other almost as tall as Kenshin. He watched and followed silently, ducking out of sight a few times, Kenshin was checking behind them every so often.
Finally, after what seemed like an hour of walking, Battousai had arrived at what seemed to be a large dojo. He knew that this had to be the Kamiya dojo Kenshin was speaking of. Battousai ducked out of sight, near the entrance, but still nowhere to be spotted by anyone. The other person Kenshin was traveling with was a girl, about seventeen, with blueish eyes and long black hair.
When Yahiko disappeared into the dojo, he come out a few moments later with a tall man, with white clothes and brown eyes and hair. The man talked with Kenshin and the girl for a few minutes, and Battousai was sure that Kenshin was talking to them about the Man-Slayer he had met in town.
Battousai laughed to himself as he waited for them to go into the dojo, but only the man, Yahiko, and the girl left. Kenshin stayed outside, looking into the air, as if expecting something.
Battousai shifted slightly where he sat, rustling the leaves a bit, and got a better view. Kenshin was standing tall, his left hand on his sword and his right near the hilt, as if expecting an attack. Battousai recognized this stance from the main part of the Hiten Mitsuruugi Ryuu, a very fast-paced sword technique. The part it was from, Battou-Jutsu, was all based on an extremely fast sword draw, when an enemy charges at you. Battousai also knew that once the swing was performed, the user was slightly off balance, but that was a small price to pay for an attack that only required one swing.
Battousai watched Kenshin hold this stance for some time, until it was quite dark out. Kenshin finally moved. Kenshin removed his hand from his sword, relaxing and walked into the dojo. The door slid shut, and the lights blew out.
Battousai laughed and walked out of his hiding place. He walked over to the door, and knocked on it. At once, it slid open, and Kenshin was standing in the frame.
"I knew that you were out there, that I did. I heard you miles away." Kenshin said with a slight smile. "Why did you follow Kaoru, Yahiko and I to this place?" he questioned Battousai.
Battousai smiled, one with a sinister appearance. "I want to fight you, Hitokiri. I want to kill you." he said, thinking of drawing his sword.
Kenshin laughed, with a slightly cold tone to it. "I'm sorry, Man- Slayer, but I do not fight to kill anymore, that I do not." he said, still laughing slightly.
Battousai's eyes widened. "Am I actually hearing this, Hitokiri?" he said, almost refusing to believe it. "Am I hearing that Hitokiri Battousai, the famous Man-Slayer has gone soft??" he asked again, to see whether it was true.
Kenshin merely nodded. He put a hand on his sword, just to threaten a little. "But, I will defend this land, and anyone on it, that I will. If you wish to taste the ground, please, feel free to attack me." he said, his voice not changing one bit.
Battousai laughed. "As soon as I am done killing you, Hitokiri, I'll burn this dojo down, and kill Kaoru, Yahiko, and that tall man." he said, almost longing to see Kenshin's reaction.
Kenshin's eyes became as cold as ice, and his voice changed. It became colder and more deadly sounding, much like the voice of a true Man- Slayer as he spoke. "You may kill me if you can, that you may. You can burn down this place and demolish the area around it. But I will not let you hurt Miss Kaoru, Sanosuke, or Yahiko. You will not hurt my friends. They are innocent." with those words, he drew his sword.
Only then did Battousai realize that this man was serious about not killing anymore. The blade was a reverse blade sword, with the normally sharp side dull, and the dull side sharpened. Kenshin put the blade in a position of the Hiten Mitsuruugi, one of a lesser part of Mitsuruugi than Battou-Jutsu.
Battousai waited for Kenshin to attack. A cold wind blew leaves over the battle site, and all of the sudden, Battousai felt an agonizing pain in his face. Kenshin was gone, and was now behind him, his sword slightly bloody. Battousai reached up to feel that his nose had been broken, and was bleeding freely.
Kenshin turned to face Battousai, his now amber eyes turning cold and narowing. "Do you wish to continue fighting?" he said in the same cold as ice voice.
Battousai laughed and snapped his nose back into place. He charged at Kenshin at his top speed, one that Kenshin's fighting only just rivaled. In one swift move, Battousai hit Kenshin hard across the neck.
But he felt no solid mater there. Battousai stopped, his feet digging into the ground and he looked around. No traces of Kenshin were to be seen.
Just then, a swishing noise was over Battousai, so he looked up. There, fifteen feet above him, Kenshin was perched in a tree. Kenshin shook his head, and shot towards Battousai, unable to be seen. The dull edge of Kenshin's sword hit Battousai in the left shoulder hard, but Battousai was ready. As soon as he saw Kenshin, he drew one of his own swords. As soon as the dull blade hit his shoulder, he sent the blade at Kenshin's chest.
But Kenshin evaded another attack, his chest only just missing the sword blade. But he didn't completely evade it. The blade sunk into Kenshin's upper right arm, and it began bleeding. Kenshin and Batousai both backed off of their targets, panting and bleeding.
"So, you are better than I thought, Man-Slayer." said Kenshin, breathing heavily.
Battousai laughed. "As are you, Hitokiri. It feels good to have an opponent that actually can hurt me for once." said he with a slight chuckle, he too breathing heavily.
Just then, Battousai felt something hit him in the back of the head. It felt like a tree hit him. He turned around, and the tall man with brown hair was standing there. Battousai laughed at seeing the man there.
The man, Sanosuke, laughed slightly. "That's the first person I've seen take a direct blow to the head, unprepared, even." he said with a slight smile.
Kenshin looked over at the man. "Sano. Please, let us fight." he said, closing his eyes. "I will not be long." he said again, opening his eyes and looking directly at Battousai.
Sanosuke backed off. "Sure, Kenshin. Whatever you say." he said, and turned to leave.
Battousai called out to the man. "As soon as I kill Hitokiri, I'll be after you, Sanosuke."
Sano turned, smiling slightly. "Then I won't worry about it, will I?" he said, smiling even wider. "Look behind you." he said again.
Batousai looked, and he saw Kenshin for a split second, his blade in the sheath. All of the sudden, Kenshin was directly in front of him, preparing the move of the Battou-Jutsu. Battousai saw the blade come out, and he leaned backward as far as he could. He saw something miss by several inches.
Battousai began to laugh when he felt a pain, somewhere in his chest. He looked down, and saw Kenshin's sword, the dull edge, right at his ribs, sunken in a bit. Battousai dropped to the ground, his vision blackening slightly. He looked up at Kenshin. "How...?" he asked, his vision blurring even more.
Kenshin looked down, sheathing his sword. "You were prepared for a single Battou-Jutsu. I used my sheath first, then my sword. A double reverse Battou-Jutsu. I knew you would dodge the first strike, as I have had one more encounter like this before." he said, his voice lightening up slightly.
Battousai clenched his fists from the pain, and managed to speak again. "Damn...you... Hito-"
"Goodnight, Man-Slayer." said Kenshin, as Battousai collapsed from his injuries.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Quiet! You three dimwits will wake him!"
"So what? He's a bad guy, Kaoru!"
"That doesn't mean that you can't be nice to him...look at him!"
"Miss Kaoru does have a point, Yahiko."
Battousai stirred, but kept his eyes shut. He wanted to listen to more.
"Is he awake?" Kaoru said softly.
"I don't think so." Battousai heard the voice of Sanosuke say.
"Well, anyway," he heard Kaoru say. "you two really beat him up. Look! He's got four broken ribs, and a broken nose. And the back of his skull is cracked, Sanosuke!" he heard Kaoru say yet again.
Battousai heard some guilty rustling noises, and a scoff. "So what?" Sanosuke said. "The guy tried to kill us." he said again.
"Did you really break his ribs, Kenshin?" said a higher voice, probably Yahiko's.
Kenshin said nothing for a minute, then he said, "While hurting this man may have been a good thing for us, I regret that I did what I had to, that I do"
Battousai sat up and rubbed his head. He looked at Kenshin, then at Sanosuke, then to Yahiko. A voice from his left startled him.
"Goood morning! You sure were beaten up, sir."
Battousai looked to his left, and saw Kaoru sitting on the side of a small bed, the one that he was on.
"How are you feeling?" Kaoru asked.
Battousai climbed out of the bed and cracked his neck. "What's it to you?" he growled, too tired to be even remotely friendly to anyone.
Kaoru grabbed Battousai by the shoulders and heaved him back on the bed. "You should stay seated for a while. You have four broken ribs." she said as she looked into his eyes.
Battousai shrugged and got back up. He looked around. "Where are my swords?" he asked, looking directly at Kenshin.
Kenshin smiled and held up two swords on a strap in an "X" pattern in his right hand, and two others in his left hand, and shook them slightly. "Looking for these?" he asked, still smiling.
Battousai started to walk over to Kenshin, but his chest felt like it was about to explode from pain, and he fell back onto the bed. "Dammit, Hitokiri! Why'd you have to go and break my ribs!?" he shouted at Kenshin.
Kenshin smiled and pointed down. "That was not I. Look." he said, starting to laugh.
Battousai looked down, and saw Yahiko, standing there with his fist out and clenched. It took Battousai a few moments to realize what he had done. "You little brat!" shouted Battousai. "I'm going to kill you!" he said again, as he started to get up.
But Sano and Kenshin both grabed Battousai by the shoulders and pushed him onto the bed.
"Lie still, will you!?" said Kaoru, who had helped Sano and Kenshin. "It's bad enough that I'm actually helping you, but you're struggling, and that makes it worse!" she said.
Battousai laughed. "Ok. I'll stay here for a while. Happy, Kaoru?" he said, closing his eyes.
Kaoru sighed and walked out of the room. Sano and Yahiko followed, but Kenshin stayed where he was.
"Listen, Man-Slayer. I will leave as soon as I am assured that you are staying here." he said. Now, are you going to stay in this room until your wounds heal?" he then asked.
Battousai laughed. "I guess I'm going nowhere then, Hitokiri. Kaoru is going to keep me here for a while, though. I guess I'll just stay around here for a while." he said, looking at Kenshin.
Kenshin smiled warmly, one that expressed friendliness. "Miss Kaoru can be one tough girl sometimes, that she can." he said, scratching the back of his head. "She makes me work here often. But I like doing chores for Miss Kaoru, that I do."
Battousai shook his head. "Whatever, Himura." he said, amazed that he didn't call him Hitokiri. "I think I'll get away at the first chance I get."
Kenshin smiled wider. "I see you have gotten to stop calling me Hitokiri, that I do." he said, grinning slightly.
Battousai gave a weak smile. He was a bit new to being kind to anyone. "Sure. I'll try to stop calling you by your former name, Kenshin." he said.
Kenshin smiled and left the room. Battousai sat by himself for a few minutes, thinking about the people here, before looking around. Next to the door where Kenshin and the others left at, Battousai saw his swords, leaning against the wall.
Battousai stood up and walked over to the swords. His ribs still hurt a bit from where Yahiko had punched him, but he bent down and picked them up. He put the two free swords at his side, and then put the strapped swords on his back. He then sat down near the door and waited for the night to come. As soon as dusk fell, Battousai opened the door and looked around. Outside, he saw Kaoru and Yahiko asleep on the floor. At the far wall, he saw Kenshin, resting against the wall in a sitting position. Sanosuke was nowhere to be see.
Battousai crept out of the room silently, unaware that Kenshin was watching his every move, and he was trying not to make a sound. Yahiko looked up and stared directly at Battousai. "That you, Sano?" he asked Battousai quietly.
Battousai nodded, then when he realized that Yahiko couldn't see properly, he said back, "Yeah, kid. It's me. I just have to get out for a bit. Go back to sleep."
Yahiko yawned. "Whatever." he said sleepily, and rolled over and began snoring again.
Battousai sighed and continued to walk. He slipped past Kenshin, and out into the night. He took a few steps out of the dojo, and headed to the gate. He tried to open the gate silently, but it creaked a little as it swung open. He rushed past the gate, stopping when he saw Sanosuke, standing by a tree, looking directly at him.
"I knew you'd try and escape." Sano said, still looking at Battousai. "It seems like the thing you'd do, doesn't it? Act as a coward after being beaten once by Kenshin." he said again, still looking at Battousai.
Battousai laughed and started walking again. "Sanosuke, I don't want to deal with you. Just leave me be." he said as he continued walking.
Sano moved in front of Battousai, almost as tall as him. "Listen, you. I don't care if you are a Man-Slayer. You gave your word to Kenshin and the others, so-" he said, but Battousai cut him off by grabbing his arm and throwing Sano behind him.
"And listen you! I'm tired of you people. Just get away, and I'll find it right not to kill all of you." he said after tossing Sanosuke away. "And tell Miss Kaoru I said good-bye. And the same for Hitokiri, you hear?" he said as he walked away.
Sano got to his feet and started toward Battousai like he'd stop him. But Battousai turned and looked Sanosuke in the eyes. "You are truly strong indeed, friend. I hope that after I find what I am looking for, we will be able to fight each other. Not to the death, but a friendly fight." he said as he turned once again.
Battousai heard Sanosuke scoff. "Yeah, right. I'll see you later." Sano said, before turning and walking back to the dojo.
Battousai shook his head and headed back towards Tokyo. He was in the mood for killing someone.