Chapter 3: A Break in Old Habits?
Battousai walked until he saw the lights of Tokyo, illuminating the dark streets ahead. He entered the town from the east, and continued in the town until he arived at his spot, the burnt-down dojo in the middle of town. He jumped to a high rafter and sat there, thinking.
He thought while watching the people in town, only mildly interested. Killing weaklings had lost it's luster after his fight with Kenshin. Even though he wanted to kill people, he couldn't bear another fight without some challenge. He sat up, looking around, for he heard a sound to his left. He turned, and saw a man, about his height, a little shorter perhaps, with a white coat with yellow lining. The man had black hair and strangely cold blue eyes.
The man laughed slightly. "Took you that long to notice me, has it?" he asked trivially, as if he were asking him if he wanted a sword for one hundred yen. The man looked Battousai up and down, as if considering him.
"Who are you?" Batousai asked, making his eyes go cold and narrow.
The man laughed and extended a hand. "I am Aoshi Shinomori, leader of the Oniwaban. I have come to speak with you." he said, still keeping his hand out.
Battousai didn't shake his hand. "Why?" he asked, looking into Aoshi's eyes.
Aoshi laughed. "Because I know what happened to you, friend. You were defeated by the Battousai, Kenshin Himura." he said, keeping his hand out.
Battousai still turned down his hand, but tilted his head to the right. "How did you know that, Shinomori?" he asked, slightly interested.
Aoshi laughed his strange laugh and shook his head. "Oniwaban is a group of ninjas. I have many spies." he said, now retreating his hand. "I have had a few people following you. I even hired a few to kill you, even though they seemed to prove no good."
Battousai looked at the man, shaking his head. "Why?" he asked, closing his eyes.
"Because I wanted to see how good you were. I know how you feel, being defeated by Himura. I suffered the same thing myself." he said.
Battousai opened his eyes and looked directly at Aoshi. "And what do you want with me?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the man and getting ready to kill him.
Aoshi smiled coldly. "We can band together, unite to kill Himura once and for all! We can prove to him that he's only just human." he said, his eyes radiating some kind of evil through them.
Battousai laughed slightly. "And what makes you think that even both of us can kill Kenshin? He's always gonna find a way to beat everything that comes against him." he said, preparing to draw his sword.
Aoshi seemed to sense what Battousai was about to do, and shook his head. "Bad idea, friend." he said, looking Battousai in the eyes.
Battousai used Kenshin's Battou-Jutsu move to have his sword gather speed as it slid from the sheath, ready to kill. Aoshi, sensing that the attack was coming, suddenly disappeared. "Think about it, friend." Battousai heard Aoshi's voice say, before he saw the real man walking away, not even scratched.
Battousai sheathed his sword and sat down, ready to find a target. Most of the people that encountered him, possibly all of them, had been hired to die. Battousai sighed and leaned back, looking up at the stars. He would find a way to beat Kenshin when he found the time.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Battousai woke with a start, wondering what had woken him up. He sat up, looking around, everything wet. He realized that it was raining, and badly. He jumped down from his spot on top of the dojo, looking around for a place to stay. He headed into town, looking around for shelter. He found, just a few yards away from where he had been, an open door, with a fire inside. He entered the place without looking, and turned around.
Suddenly, a sharp pain in his face made him realize that he was not alone. He turned around to see a short boy, with long brown hair that fell over his eyes and onto his chest, with one eye that was golden, and one that was silver. The boy had a small sword, probably wakizashi style, in a sheath at his side. The boy stood about where Kenshin would stand on Battousai, a little over five and a half feet tall.
"Battousai, I have come here on behalf of the Oniwaban. I am Shigeru Himota, from Osaka." he said, drawing the wakizashi.
Battousai shook his head. "Listen, Himota. Leave me, and I will not kill you. Stay here, and I assure you that you will be dead on the floor before you can count to three." he said, his eyes flashing dangerously.
The boy laughed, and started counting. "One..." he said, starting to count.
Battousai drew his sword, and used his speed to propel himself behind the boy, almost seeming to appear there. He hit the boy on the top of the head with the hilt of his sword.
"Two..." the boy said just before he was hit, and was sent down to the ground.
Battousai laughed coldly and stabbed the boy in the middle of the forehead, sending the blade about four inches down.
"Thr-" the boy started to say before the blade hit him.
Battousai threw the boy out of the room, into the streets, and wiped his blade clean. He sheathed it and walked over to the fire, taking off his shirt and feeling the bandages around his chest that were stiffening his broken ribs.
He examined the damage for a minute before lying down next to the fire and looking at the ceiling, closing his eyes wearily and waiting for sleep to come. It didn't. He lay there, his hands behind his head and looking up at the ceiling for nearly an hour.
He stood, sensing that the rain had stopped, and walked outside. He sat against the wall, leaning his head back against it and thinking to himself. "What makes Kenshin stronger that I am?" he asked himself, still looking up. "How is he stronger than me? Is it just techniques, or am I just weak?" he continued asking himself until he found an answer. "It's because Kenshin fights for the protection for himself and others, not to improve himself." he realized. "That's why I could handle fighting five people at once in Miss Toharu's dojo! I wasn't fighting just to kill someone; I was fighting to protect her!" he said to himself again, as if he were just coming to this idea.
Battousai stood and headed to the outskirts of town, to reach the secluded valley he stayed some time ago. He removed all of his swords and looked up at the sky. "Does this mean that I have to give up killing now?" he asked himself as he was searching the sky. "Do I have to be wanderer like Himura; to only go where the good deeds come up?"
He sighed and closed his eyes. "I'll deal with this problem in the morning." he said to himself before he rolled over and fell asleep.
* * * * * * *
Battousai awoke the next morning, sensing that he was not alone. He sat upright, looking around to find the person he had sensed. There, was a young man about in his twenties, maybe younger. He had short brown hair, with three long bangs, at the back of his head, hung down a few feet to his waist; with blue eyes that seemed to radiate excitement. Battousai looked at him for a minute, before looking for his swords. They were about three feet away from his reach. He leaned over to them and grabbed only one, not taking his eyes off the man.
The man turned when he saw movement, and looked right at Battousai. "So, you're awake." he said. "I was wondering when you were going to wake."
Battousai looked at him, as if expecting a beginning to an attack. But the man only smiled when Battousai was staring at him. "Excuse me. I am Yoroto Mieagi. I, like yourself, am a Man-Slayer." he said, bowing a little from his sitting position.
Battousai shrugged. "Then I guess you've already heard of me, and you want to fight, is that it?" he asked, gripping his sword tighter.
Yoroto shook his head frantically. "No, no, no! I only wanted to examine your style of fighting, and compare it to my own, sir." he said.
Battousai grinned. "The only way you're gonna do that is to fight me." he said as he grabbed his other sword.
The man looked for a way to talk himself out of a fight. "Well, you see, I am only looking for other fighting styles to greater improve my own. I don't fight." he said as he stood up.
Battousai smiled slightly. "Okay then. I didn't want to fight you, anyway. Killing weaklings is getting boring." he said, adding a slight deadly flash to his eyes, just to keep his dignity.
Yoroto backed away about a yard. "Y-you mean...you haven't stopped killing people yet?" he asked, shaking slightly.
Battousai stood and looked down at the man. "Once a Man-Slayer, always a Man-Slayer I say." he said in a dangerous tone.
Yoroto backed off even more, and Battousai laughed. "Never mind..." Battousai said, dropping his swords to the ground.
Yoroto gave a feeble laugh, and sat down. "Well then, I guess I'll stay around you for a while; I really want to see your fighting style..." he said as he sat down.
"Yeah, that's fine." Battousai said wearily. "As long as you don't get in the way."
Yoroto sighed. "So, where are we going to stay?" he inquired Battousai.
Battousai shook his head. "I don't know where we are going to stay. I am going to stay at an acquaintance's dojo; she lives on the far side of town. You may come too, but don't get in the way. There is no 'We' to this. Okay?" he said.
Yoroto nodded and kept quiet. He looked off into the distance slightly, then back at Battousai. "Well then, what should I call you?" he asked, realizing he didn't even know the man.
Battousai laughed coldly. "You shall refer to me as Battousai, nothing more, nothing less. Understand?"
Yoroto nodded again to show that he did, and stood up. "Yes, Battousai." he said.
Battousai smiled to himself as he tried to remember what direction Toharu lived in. He remembered that he had been just outside Tokyo. Battousai turned and headed off in that direction, hearing Yoroto hurrying to keep up with him.
* * * * * * * * * *
Battousai and Yoroto arrived at Toharu's dojo sometime in mid- afternoon. Battousai turned to Yoroto, adding a hint of a flash to his eyes as he spoke.
"Stay here, ok." he commanded more than asked Yoroto.
Yoroto nodded, and fell still, looking off at the dojo. He shifted a bit before sighing.
Battousai shook his head and walked over to the dojo, walking up to the door and knocking on it slightly. He waited for someone to answer patiently.
The dojo door slid open slowly, but there was no one in the frame. Battousai waited for at least a minute before he looked in. The main room was dark, and it seemed it was empty.
"Hello?" Battousai called into the seemingly empty dojo. "Toharu? Is anyone here?"
Battousai heard movement behind him, and spun around. He saw only darkness; someone had closed the door. He looked into the darkness for a while before he heard soft laughter. Then, someone behind him spoke.
"Well, Battousai...what do we have here?" the voice said in a soft, low tone.
Battousai turned and saw a man, about as tall as himself, wearing expensive looking clothing. The man wore a smile that only people that have accomplished their life goals could wear.
"So...the Battousai will fall to me in this place...what a dreadful death." the man said as his smile grew wider.
Battousai closed his eyes and gave that cocky smile he normally gave. "Well...you'll have to fight me first, to have killed me." he said.
The man laughed in a fruity way, and pulled out a pistol. "Well then, Mr. Battousai...I'll just have to kill you, then." he said as he loaded the gun.
Battousai dropped his smile, opened his bloodred eyes and stared straight at the man. "Well then...you go ahead and try." he said, still looking at the man.
The man pointed the gun right between Battousai's eyes, smiling slightly. "Dodge this." he said as he pulled the trigger.
Battousai knew that the man would fire before he said anything, and moved out of the way, only tilting his head to the right. The bullet skimmed aside his neck, not even grazing it.
Battousai smiled as he moved his head into his normal position. "Missed." he said, as the man pointed his gun and fired again. Battousai yet again moved his head to the right, then left as he avoided three bullets, then easily dodged four more.
The man, whose expression was a mixture of horror and fear, pointed his gun at Battousai and fired the last bullet, only to miss again. Battousai grinned as the man then threw the gun at him.
He caught it easily with his left hand, and threw it back as hard as he could. The gun hit the man in the middle of the head, where it started to bleed.
Battousai smiled slightly as the man reached up to his face, feeling the hole the gun had made. His hand longered on the spot where it was bleeding, before looking at Battousai, his eyes slightly glazed. "What...the..hell are you...Man-Slayer..?" he asked, his eyes blurring slowly.
Battousai put on his cocky grin and drew his sword. He walked up to the man and looked him in the eyes with his and said, "I am Shou-Ryu, the greatest Man-Slayer to cross the country." before hitting the man in the face with the blade.
The man fell to the ground, a vertical gash running down his face, nearly splitting it in half. Battousai cleaned and sheathed his sword, and looked around. He saw no sign of life anywhere in the dojo, so he stepped outside and motioned for Yoroto to come in.
Yoroto nodded and ran over to the door of the dojo. He looked at Battousai, then at the dead man lying on the floor. Skirting around the pool of blood, he examined the dead man, frowning, and looked back up at Battousai.
"Did you...kill him?" he asked slowly, looking Battousai in the eyes.
Battousai nodded slowly, shaking his head up and down. He looked around the inside of the dojo for Toharu. He turned to Yoroto, who was still examining the dead man. "Do you see anyone in there?" he asked Yoroto, who looked up.
Yoroto looked around, then looked back at Battousai, and shook his head. "No, I don't see anyone here." he said quietly.
Battousai looked down and closed his eyes. "I think that this is a bad thing. I'm not sure if I have a good feeling about this." he said as he opened his eyes and looked around again.
Yoroto nodded and looked around as well. He looked down at the dead man again, then back at Battousai. "If you hadn't killed this guy, we might've gotten some answers!" he said as he backed away slowly.
Battousai looked at Yoroto, laughing slightly. "Well...if I hadn't killed him, he probably would have killed you." he said, hardening his eyes to give himself that Man-Slayer look.
Yoroto smiled stupidly and said, "Yes, I suppose you're right."
Battousai looked around. He walked outside and sat down on the steps. Yoroto followed and sat down next to him.
"Well...what do we do now?" Yoroto asked Battousai, who turned to face him.
"We will do nothing, because there is no we. I will leave, I have to get things straightened out. I'll find out where Toharu is, and you will leave me alone, got it?" he said to Yoroto as he turned to look around.
Yoroto nodded and looked away as well.
Suddenly, Battousai saw a strange thing. There was a man, about six feet tall, leaning against a tree, about twenty feet away from where Yoroto and Battousai sat. The man was looking directly at Yoroto and Battousai, his dark eyes reflecting in the sunlight. Battousai stared at the mysterious man for a second, before the man started walking off, heading North.
Battousai nudged Yoroto and followed the man, once again hearing Yoroto following quietly.
* * * * * * * * *
They followed the man until they arrived at a rather large estate, with about twelve stories to it. Yoroto stopped at a tree, about twenty meters out of sight from the house, but Battousai got closer. He only stopped when he was close enough to be spotted by the man he and Yoroto were following.
The man turned, smiling slightly, to face Battousai. "I was afraid you might not have come, Man-Slayer." he said, keeping that smile on his face.
Battousai closed his eyes. "And was that because you were hoping for death, or a fight?" he asked the man, not opening his eyes, but keeping his ears open for any possible sign of attack.
The man replied, "I was hoping more for the latter. The first would be yes if you put a 'my' before death."
Battousai opened his eyes, once a light shade of red, now a deep, bloodred, almost scarlet. He spoke slowly and clearly, in case the man did not understand. "So, if you want to fight, I will be more than happy to give one to you. If you tell me one thing first."
The man gave his strange smile. "You want to know where your dear, dear Miss Toharu is, don't you?" he asked, almost daring Battousai to react.
But Battousai merely smiled and said, "Yes. That is the case. If you tell me now, I promise to only knock you out; I'm quite late in seeing her.
The man smiled. "I will tell you where she is, just follow me." he said, beckoning Battousai and Yoroto into the large estate.
Battousai turned to Yoroto, who had walked up when he saw no sign of an attack. Yoroto merely shrugged and followed the man, so Battousai went along as well.
The man led them into a large room, lined with expensive-looking items and walls coated in what looked like gold. Battousai eyes the walls, facinated, but turned when he saw that the man had stopped. The man's face shone with excitement as he pulled out a cloth and wiped his forehead. "Allow me to introduce myself, gentlemen." said he, as he turned to face Battousai and Yoroto. "I am known as Takashi Yoritomo, ancestor of Minamoto Yoritomo. And this is my partner," he said, as he held out a hand, as if showing something off, to nothing. "Seki."
A tall, strange looking man, probably at his young twenties, stepped out of the shadows, his violet-orange eyes glinting in the light from the sun. There was a flash of lightning, followed by a loud roll of thunder, and it began to rain. The man looked almost exactly like Kenshin. Takashi laughed slightly.
"Now, gentlemen, tell me your names," he held up a hand. "and none of this damn Battousai blather, got it?"
Yoroto looked at Battousai, then nodded. "I am Yoroto Mieagi." he said as he stepped forward.
Battousai also stepped forward. "And I am Hiroshi Miagura." he said.
Takashi grinned awkwardly, and turned around, starting to walk off further into the estate. "Please, follow me." he said, not turning to face them. Seki, Takashi's bodyguard, watched Hiro and Yoroto's every move as they both followed Takashi.
Takashi stopped in a huge room, turning to face Hiro and Yoroto, smiling still. He gave a shrill whistle, and headed up a set of beautifully decorated stairs headed up. He turned when he reached the landing near the top. "Gentlemen," he said, looking from corner to corner of the room. "Meet my beloved friends, of Yoritomo's Diamyo."
As if by call, hundreds of men stepped out of shadows, surrounding Hiro and Yoroto in a half circle. Seki closed and locked the doors behind them, and jumped over Hiro's head and joined his fellows. The Seki and four other men stepped out from the circle. One had malicious black eyes and electric blue hair. Another had spiky black hair with red on the tips; another with flowing red hair. The last, the one in the front, had short brown bangs, five coming down over his eyes, and a red insignia on his kimono top.
They all grinned evilly and each drew a weapon. But then, Takashi called out from the balcony, "Wait, men. Why don't you introduce yourselves to our guests before you kill them, hmm?"
The four men in front each stood dignified. The man in front, with the brown hair, said, "I am Soujiro Yusune, co-captain of Yoritomo's Diamyo." he said proudly before backing up.
The man with the blue hair and black eyes stepped forward. "I am known as Yoshio Arikado, and I am the Hitoyumi." he said, stepping back for the red haired man.
"And I am Akage Yarou, First-class Tenken." said the red-haired one.
The last man, with black and red hair, merely closed his eyes and scoffed. "I am Akira Shinomura. Tenken." he said without looking up.
They all bowed, except for Akira, before raising their arms into the air, preparing the other two hundred men, all armed with rifles, to fire. Soujiro cleared his throat. "FIRE!!!" he shouted, before a tempest of bullets all swarmed at Hiro and Yoroto at once.
Hiro grabbed Yoroto by the throat and flung him behind a sturdy- looking pillar, crouching low just in case. He drew his two swords. "You take care of anyone you can, okay?" he asked Yoroto, who nodded and pulled out a tanto and kodachi.
Hiro flung himself from behind the pillar, moving quickly to one person, unsespecting such of an attack, and slashed mercilessly at his throat. The man fell lifeless to the floor into a pool of blood, but Hiro had moved on to another man, repeating the same manner, slashing at their throat once. He moved from person to person, slashing each of them only once before moving on. He reached about the fiftieth man, before he felt a sharp pain on his right cheek. A bullet grazed him, leaving a long cut, about three inches long, along his jawline.
He clenched his teeth in pain, but moved on to the man who shot him, cut the barrel of the rifle off with one swing, diagonally down with his left sword, before adding a 180 degree spin to it, now slicing the man's throat open with his right, spinning a bit more, and slashing at the man's throat again with his left. He moved on to another man, and another, until only eleven were left.
He moved to one man, who suddenly resorted to fists for fighting, and landed a heavy punch to Hiro's ribs. Hiro almost screamed out in pain, because his previous injury was still not healed. But he showed no relenting, and hit the man behind the head with his right sword, almost decapitating the man.
Three of other the men were slain by Yoroto, who looked utterly tired. He had killed only five or six, but that was a lot for someone who wasn't used to it. Hiro turned to the last seven. He smiled and sheathed his two swords from his waist, and drew two more new ones from his shoulders. He grinned and launched himself onto them. Killing three right off the start by decapitation. He spun on the ground, sliding a bit before charging at the remaining four, cutting one almost in half, slicing right at the backbone. He turned to another, cut his neckbone from behind, then jumped into the air, landing on one and sending the blade through the top of his head. He turned to the other man, who was aiming his rifle right at Hiro's eye. He was just about to pull the trigger, when Yoroto appeared on the man's shoulders, sending his tanto into the man's left eye. Hiro turned away a second before the blade sunk in, but he couldn't block out the man's horrible shrieks. He turned, and saw Yoroto send a katana blade into the man's chest, and rip it back out again.
They both turned to the other men, Seki, Yoshio, Soujiro, Akira, and Takashi, but they were gone. Hiro turned pale, and collapsed after wiping the blood off his swords. Yoroto rushed over to him, looking down. "What's wrong, Hiro?" he asked quietly, wiping his own blade clean.
Hiro smiled slowly and coughed up a little blood. "Nothing. I just need to see someone. Old injuries reopened." he said. "Just do me a favor, okay?"
Yoroto's eyes shone with excitement. "What?" he asked, ready to hear a huge, adventurous quest.
Hiro smiled. "Get Miss Toharu, while I'm gone, ok?" he asked, standing up shakily.
Yoroto tried to help him up. "Where are you going?" he asked.
"To the Kamiya dojo...that's the only place I can get treatment...no other place will accept me." he said, trying not to cough. He couldn't supress a cough, and he coughed again, sending more blood from his mouth. "I'll be fine, Yoroto. Just rescue Toharu, will you?"
Yoroto turned and ran up the stairs, disappearingout of Hiro's sight. Hiro stood shakily, looking at the ground and keeping his teeth clenched because the pain was so intense. He turned to the door, trying to keep his balance. He was in so much pain, he could barely see, but he decided he had better take it.
He left the estate, heading back to the Kamiya dojo, in hopes of finding Kenshin and Kaoru before he was found by Yoritomo's Diamyo.
Battousai walked until he saw the lights of Tokyo, illuminating the dark streets ahead. He entered the town from the east, and continued in the town until he arived at his spot, the burnt-down dojo in the middle of town. He jumped to a high rafter and sat there, thinking.
He thought while watching the people in town, only mildly interested. Killing weaklings had lost it's luster after his fight with Kenshin. Even though he wanted to kill people, he couldn't bear another fight without some challenge. He sat up, looking around, for he heard a sound to his left. He turned, and saw a man, about his height, a little shorter perhaps, with a white coat with yellow lining. The man had black hair and strangely cold blue eyes.
The man laughed slightly. "Took you that long to notice me, has it?" he asked trivially, as if he were asking him if he wanted a sword for one hundred yen. The man looked Battousai up and down, as if considering him.
"Who are you?" Batousai asked, making his eyes go cold and narrow.
The man laughed and extended a hand. "I am Aoshi Shinomori, leader of the Oniwaban. I have come to speak with you." he said, still keeping his hand out.
Battousai didn't shake his hand. "Why?" he asked, looking into Aoshi's eyes.
Aoshi laughed. "Because I know what happened to you, friend. You were defeated by the Battousai, Kenshin Himura." he said, keeping his hand out.
Battousai still turned down his hand, but tilted his head to the right. "How did you know that, Shinomori?" he asked, slightly interested.
Aoshi laughed his strange laugh and shook his head. "Oniwaban is a group of ninjas. I have many spies." he said, now retreating his hand. "I have had a few people following you. I even hired a few to kill you, even though they seemed to prove no good."
Battousai looked at the man, shaking his head. "Why?" he asked, closing his eyes.
"Because I wanted to see how good you were. I know how you feel, being defeated by Himura. I suffered the same thing myself." he said.
Battousai opened his eyes and looked directly at Aoshi. "And what do you want with me?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the man and getting ready to kill him.
Aoshi smiled coldly. "We can band together, unite to kill Himura once and for all! We can prove to him that he's only just human." he said, his eyes radiating some kind of evil through them.
Battousai laughed slightly. "And what makes you think that even both of us can kill Kenshin? He's always gonna find a way to beat everything that comes against him." he said, preparing to draw his sword.
Aoshi seemed to sense what Battousai was about to do, and shook his head. "Bad idea, friend." he said, looking Battousai in the eyes.
Battousai used Kenshin's Battou-Jutsu move to have his sword gather speed as it slid from the sheath, ready to kill. Aoshi, sensing that the attack was coming, suddenly disappeared. "Think about it, friend." Battousai heard Aoshi's voice say, before he saw the real man walking away, not even scratched.
Battousai sheathed his sword and sat down, ready to find a target. Most of the people that encountered him, possibly all of them, had been hired to die. Battousai sighed and leaned back, looking up at the stars. He would find a way to beat Kenshin when he found the time.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Battousai woke with a start, wondering what had woken him up. He sat up, looking around, everything wet. He realized that it was raining, and badly. He jumped down from his spot on top of the dojo, looking around for a place to stay. He headed into town, looking around for shelter. He found, just a few yards away from where he had been, an open door, with a fire inside. He entered the place without looking, and turned around.
Suddenly, a sharp pain in his face made him realize that he was not alone. He turned around to see a short boy, with long brown hair that fell over his eyes and onto his chest, with one eye that was golden, and one that was silver. The boy had a small sword, probably wakizashi style, in a sheath at his side. The boy stood about where Kenshin would stand on Battousai, a little over five and a half feet tall.
"Battousai, I have come here on behalf of the Oniwaban. I am Shigeru Himota, from Osaka." he said, drawing the wakizashi.
Battousai shook his head. "Listen, Himota. Leave me, and I will not kill you. Stay here, and I assure you that you will be dead on the floor before you can count to three." he said, his eyes flashing dangerously.
The boy laughed, and started counting. "One..." he said, starting to count.
Battousai drew his sword, and used his speed to propel himself behind the boy, almost seeming to appear there. He hit the boy on the top of the head with the hilt of his sword.
"Two..." the boy said just before he was hit, and was sent down to the ground.
Battousai laughed coldly and stabbed the boy in the middle of the forehead, sending the blade about four inches down.
"Thr-" the boy started to say before the blade hit him.
Battousai threw the boy out of the room, into the streets, and wiped his blade clean. He sheathed it and walked over to the fire, taking off his shirt and feeling the bandages around his chest that were stiffening his broken ribs.
He examined the damage for a minute before lying down next to the fire and looking at the ceiling, closing his eyes wearily and waiting for sleep to come. It didn't. He lay there, his hands behind his head and looking up at the ceiling for nearly an hour.
He stood, sensing that the rain had stopped, and walked outside. He sat against the wall, leaning his head back against it and thinking to himself. "What makes Kenshin stronger that I am?" he asked himself, still looking up. "How is he stronger than me? Is it just techniques, or am I just weak?" he continued asking himself until he found an answer. "It's because Kenshin fights for the protection for himself and others, not to improve himself." he realized. "That's why I could handle fighting five people at once in Miss Toharu's dojo! I wasn't fighting just to kill someone; I was fighting to protect her!" he said to himself again, as if he were just coming to this idea.
Battousai stood and headed to the outskirts of town, to reach the secluded valley he stayed some time ago. He removed all of his swords and looked up at the sky. "Does this mean that I have to give up killing now?" he asked himself as he was searching the sky. "Do I have to be wanderer like Himura; to only go where the good deeds come up?"
He sighed and closed his eyes. "I'll deal with this problem in the morning." he said to himself before he rolled over and fell asleep.
* * * * * * *
Battousai awoke the next morning, sensing that he was not alone. He sat upright, looking around to find the person he had sensed. There, was a young man about in his twenties, maybe younger. He had short brown hair, with three long bangs, at the back of his head, hung down a few feet to his waist; with blue eyes that seemed to radiate excitement. Battousai looked at him for a minute, before looking for his swords. They were about three feet away from his reach. He leaned over to them and grabbed only one, not taking his eyes off the man.
The man turned when he saw movement, and looked right at Battousai. "So, you're awake." he said. "I was wondering when you were going to wake."
Battousai looked at him, as if expecting a beginning to an attack. But the man only smiled when Battousai was staring at him. "Excuse me. I am Yoroto Mieagi. I, like yourself, am a Man-Slayer." he said, bowing a little from his sitting position.
Battousai shrugged. "Then I guess you've already heard of me, and you want to fight, is that it?" he asked, gripping his sword tighter.
Yoroto shook his head frantically. "No, no, no! I only wanted to examine your style of fighting, and compare it to my own, sir." he said.
Battousai grinned. "The only way you're gonna do that is to fight me." he said as he grabbed his other sword.
The man looked for a way to talk himself out of a fight. "Well, you see, I am only looking for other fighting styles to greater improve my own. I don't fight." he said as he stood up.
Battousai smiled slightly. "Okay then. I didn't want to fight you, anyway. Killing weaklings is getting boring." he said, adding a slight deadly flash to his eyes, just to keep his dignity.
Yoroto backed away about a yard. "Y-you mean...you haven't stopped killing people yet?" he asked, shaking slightly.
Battousai stood and looked down at the man. "Once a Man-Slayer, always a Man-Slayer I say." he said in a dangerous tone.
Yoroto backed off even more, and Battousai laughed. "Never mind..." Battousai said, dropping his swords to the ground.
Yoroto gave a feeble laugh, and sat down. "Well then, I guess I'll stay around you for a while; I really want to see your fighting style..." he said as he sat down.
"Yeah, that's fine." Battousai said wearily. "As long as you don't get in the way."
Yoroto sighed. "So, where are we going to stay?" he inquired Battousai.
Battousai shook his head. "I don't know where we are going to stay. I am going to stay at an acquaintance's dojo; she lives on the far side of town. You may come too, but don't get in the way. There is no 'We' to this. Okay?" he said.
Yoroto nodded and kept quiet. He looked off into the distance slightly, then back at Battousai. "Well then, what should I call you?" he asked, realizing he didn't even know the man.
Battousai laughed coldly. "You shall refer to me as Battousai, nothing more, nothing less. Understand?"
Yoroto nodded again to show that he did, and stood up. "Yes, Battousai." he said.
Battousai smiled to himself as he tried to remember what direction Toharu lived in. He remembered that he had been just outside Tokyo. Battousai turned and headed off in that direction, hearing Yoroto hurrying to keep up with him.
* * * * * * * * * *
Battousai and Yoroto arrived at Toharu's dojo sometime in mid- afternoon. Battousai turned to Yoroto, adding a hint of a flash to his eyes as he spoke.
"Stay here, ok." he commanded more than asked Yoroto.
Yoroto nodded, and fell still, looking off at the dojo. He shifted a bit before sighing.
Battousai shook his head and walked over to the dojo, walking up to the door and knocking on it slightly. He waited for someone to answer patiently.
The dojo door slid open slowly, but there was no one in the frame. Battousai waited for at least a minute before he looked in. The main room was dark, and it seemed it was empty.
"Hello?" Battousai called into the seemingly empty dojo. "Toharu? Is anyone here?"
Battousai heard movement behind him, and spun around. He saw only darkness; someone had closed the door. He looked into the darkness for a while before he heard soft laughter. Then, someone behind him spoke.
"Well, Battousai...what do we have here?" the voice said in a soft, low tone.
Battousai turned and saw a man, about as tall as himself, wearing expensive looking clothing. The man wore a smile that only people that have accomplished their life goals could wear.
"So...the Battousai will fall to me in this place...what a dreadful death." the man said as his smile grew wider.
Battousai closed his eyes and gave that cocky smile he normally gave. "Well...you'll have to fight me first, to have killed me." he said.
The man laughed in a fruity way, and pulled out a pistol. "Well then, Mr. Battousai...I'll just have to kill you, then." he said as he loaded the gun.
Battousai dropped his smile, opened his bloodred eyes and stared straight at the man. "Well then...you go ahead and try." he said, still looking at the man.
The man pointed the gun right between Battousai's eyes, smiling slightly. "Dodge this." he said as he pulled the trigger.
Battousai knew that the man would fire before he said anything, and moved out of the way, only tilting his head to the right. The bullet skimmed aside his neck, not even grazing it.
Battousai smiled as he moved his head into his normal position. "Missed." he said, as the man pointed his gun and fired again. Battousai yet again moved his head to the right, then left as he avoided three bullets, then easily dodged four more.
The man, whose expression was a mixture of horror and fear, pointed his gun at Battousai and fired the last bullet, only to miss again. Battousai grinned as the man then threw the gun at him.
He caught it easily with his left hand, and threw it back as hard as he could. The gun hit the man in the middle of the head, where it started to bleed.
Battousai smiled slightly as the man reached up to his face, feeling the hole the gun had made. His hand longered on the spot where it was bleeding, before looking at Battousai, his eyes slightly glazed. "What...the..hell are you...Man-Slayer..?" he asked, his eyes blurring slowly.
Battousai put on his cocky grin and drew his sword. He walked up to the man and looked him in the eyes with his and said, "I am Shou-Ryu, the greatest Man-Slayer to cross the country." before hitting the man in the face with the blade.
The man fell to the ground, a vertical gash running down his face, nearly splitting it in half. Battousai cleaned and sheathed his sword, and looked around. He saw no sign of life anywhere in the dojo, so he stepped outside and motioned for Yoroto to come in.
Yoroto nodded and ran over to the door of the dojo. He looked at Battousai, then at the dead man lying on the floor. Skirting around the pool of blood, he examined the dead man, frowning, and looked back up at Battousai.
"Did you...kill him?" he asked slowly, looking Battousai in the eyes.
Battousai nodded slowly, shaking his head up and down. He looked around the inside of the dojo for Toharu. He turned to Yoroto, who was still examining the dead man. "Do you see anyone in there?" he asked Yoroto, who looked up.
Yoroto looked around, then looked back at Battousai, and shook his head. "No, I don't see anyone here." he said quietly.
Battousai looked down and closed his eyes. "I think that this is a bad thing. I'm not sure if I have a good feeling about this." he said as he opened his eyes and looked around again.
Yoroto nodded and looked around as well. He looked down at the dead man again, then back at Battousai. "If you hadn't killed this guy, we might've gotten some answers!" he said as he backed away slowly.
Battousai looked at Yoroto, laughing slightly. "Well...if I hadn't killed him, he probably would have killed you." he said, hardening his eyes to give himself that Man-Slayer look.
Yoroto smiled stupidly and said, "Yes, I suppose you're right."
Battousai looked around. He walked outside and sat down on the steps. Yoroto followed and sat down next to him.
"Well...what do we do now?" Yoroto asked Battousai, who turned to face him.
"We will do nothing, because there is no we. I will leave, I have to get things straightened out. I'll find out where Toharu is, and you will leave me alone, got it?" he said to Yoroto as he turned to look around.
Yoroto nodded and looked away as well.
Suddenly, Battousai saw a strange thing. There was a man, about six feet tall, leaning against a tree, about twenty feet away from where Yoroto and Battousai sat. The man was looking directly at Yoroto and Battousai, his dark eyes reflecting in the sunlight. Battousai stared at the mysterious man for a second, before the man started walking off, heading North.
Battousai nudged Yoroto and followed the man, once again hearing Yoroto following quietly.
* * * * * * * * *
They followed the man until they arrived at a rather large estate, with about twelve stories to it. Yoroto stopped at a tree, about twenty meters out of sight from the house, but Battousai got closer. He only stopped when he was close enough to be spotted by the man he and Yoroto were following.
The man turned, smiling slightly, to face Battousai. "I was afraid you might not have come, Man-Slayer." he said, keeping that smile on his face.
Battousai closed his eyes. "And was that because you were hoping for death, or a fight?" he asked the man, not opening his eyes, but keeping his ears open for any possible sign of attack.
The man replied, "I was hoping more for the latter. The first would be yes if you put a 'my' before death."
Battousai opened his eyes, once a light shade of red, now a deep, bloodred, almost scarlet. He spoke slowly and clearly, in case the man did not understand. "So, if you want to fight, I will be more than happy to give one to you. If you tell me one thing first."
The man gave his strange smile. "You want to know where your dear, dear Miss Toharu is, don't you?" he asked, almost daring Battousai to react.
But Battousai merely smiled and said, "Yes. That is the case. If you tell me now, I promise to only knock you out; I'm quite late in seeing her.
The man smiled. "I will tell you where she is, just follow me." he said, beckoning Battousai and Yoroto into the large estate.
Battousai turned to Yoroto, who had walked up when he saw no sign of an attack. Yoroto merely shrugged and followed the man, so Battousai went along as well.
The man led them into a large room, lined with expensive-looking items and walls coated in what looked like gold. Battousai eyes the walls, facinated, but turned when he saw that the man had stopped. The man's face shone with excitement as he pulled out a cloth and wiped his forehead. "Allow me to introduce myself, gentlemen." said he, as he turned to face Battousai and Yoroto. "I am known as Takashi Yoritomo, ancestor of Minamoto Yoritomo. And this is my partner," he said, as he held out a hand, as if showing something off, to nothing. "Seki."
A tall, strange looking man, probably at his young twenties, stepped out of the shadows, his violet-orange eyes glinting in the light from the sun. There was a flash of lightning, followed by a loud roll of thunder, and it began to rain. The man looked almost exactly like Kenshin. Takashi laughed slightly.
"Now, gentlemen, tell me your names," he held up a hand. "and none of this damn Battousai blather, got it?"
Yoroto looked at Battousai, then nodded. "I am Yoroto Mieagi." he said as he stepped forward.
Battousai also stepped forward. "And I am Hiroshi Miagura." he said.
Takashi grinned awkwardly, and turned around, starting to walk off further into the estate. "Please, follow me." he said, not turning to face them. Seki, Takashi's bodyguard, watched Hiro and Yoroto's every move as they both followed Takashi.
Takashi stopped in a huge room, turning to face Hiro and Yoroto, smiling still. He gave a shrill whistle, and headed up a set of beautifully decorated stairs headed up. He turned when he reached the landing near the top. "Gentlemen," he said, looking from corner to corner of the room. "Meet my beloved friends, of Yoritomo's Diamyo."
As if by call, hundreds of men stepped out of shadows, surrounding Hiro and Yoroto in a half circle. Seki closed and locked the doors behind them, and jumped over Hiro's head and joined his fellows. The Seki and four other men stepped out from the circle. One had malicious black eyes and electric blue hair. Another had spiky black hair with red on the tips; another with flowing red hair. The last, the one in the front, had short brown bangs, five coming down over his eyes, and a red insignia on his kimono top.
They all grinned evilly and each drew a weapon. But then, Takashi called out from the balcony, "Wait, men. Why don't you introduce yourselves to our guests before you kill them, hmm?"
The four men in front each stood dignified. The man in front, with the brown hair, said, "I am Soujiro Yusune, co-captain of Yoritomo's Diamyo." he said proudly before backing up.
The man with the blue hair and black eyes stepped forward. "I am known as Yoshio Arikado, and I am the Hitoyumi." he said, stepping back for the red haired man.
"And I am Akage Yarou, First-class Tenken." said the red-haired one.
The last man, with black and red hair, merely closed his eyes and scoffed. "I am Akira Shinomura. Tenken." he said without looking up.
They all bowed, except for Akira, before raising their arms into the air, preparing the other two hundred men, all armed with rifles, to fire. Soujiro cleared his throat. "FIRE!!!" he shouted, before a tempest of bullets all swarmed at Hiro and Yoroto at once.
Hiro grabbed Yoroto by the throat and flung him behind a sturdy- looking pillar, crouching low just in case. He drew his two swords. "You take care of anyone you can, okay?" he asked Yoroto, who nodded and pulled out a tanto and kodachi.
Hiro flung himself from behind the pillar, moving quickly to one person, unsespecting such of an attack, and slashed mercilessly at his throat. The man fell lifeless to the floor into a pool of blood, but Hiro had moved on to another man, repeating the same manner, slashing at their throat once. He moved from person to person, slashing each of them only once before moving on. He reached about the fiftieth man, before he felt a sharp pain on his right cheek. A bullet grazed him, leaving a long cut, about three inches long, along his jawline.
He clenched his teeth in pain, but moved on to the man who shot him, cut the barrel of the rifle off with one swing, diagonally down with his left sword, before adding a 180 degree spin to it, now slicing the man's throat open with his right, spinning a bit more, and slashing at the man's throat again with his left. He moved on to another man, and another, until only eleven were left.
He moved to one man, who suddenly resorted to fists for fighting, and landed a heavy punch to Hiro's ribs. Hiro almost screamed out in pain, because his previous injury was still not healed. But he showed no relenting, and hit the man behind the head with his right sword, almost decapitating the man.
Three of other the men were slain by Yoroto, who looked utterly tired. He had killed only five or six, but that was a lot for someone who wasn't used to it. Hiro turned to the last seven. He smiled and sheathed his two swords from his waist, and drew two more new ones from his shoulders. He grinned and launched himself onto them. Killing three right off the start by decapitation. He spun on the ground, sliding a bit before charging at the remaining four, cutting one almost in half, slicing right at the backbone. He turned to another, cut his neckbone from behind, then jumped into the air, landing on one and sending the blade through the top of his head. He turned to the other man, who was aiming his rifle right at Hiro's eye. He was just about to pull the trigger, when Yoroto appeared on the man's shoulders, sending his tanto into the man's left eye. Hiro turned away a second before the blade sunk in, but he couldn't block out the man's horrible shrieks. He turned, and saw Yoroto send a katana blade into the man's chest, and rip it back out again.
They both turned to the other men, Seki, Yoshio, Soujiro, Akira, and Takashi, but they were gone. Hiro turned pale, and collapsed after wiping the blood off his swords. Yoroto rushed over to him, looking down. "What's wrong, Hiro?" he asked quietly, wiping his own blade clean.
Hiro smiled slowly and coughed up a little blood. "Nothing. I just need to see someone. Old injuries reopened." he said. "Just do me a favor, okay?"
Yoroto's eyes shone with excitement. "What?" he asked, ready to hear a huge, adventurous quest.
Hiro smiled. "Get Miss Toharu, while I'm gone, ok?" he asked, standing up shakily.
Yoroto tried to help him up. "Where are you going?" he asked.
"To the Kamiya dojo...that's the only place I can get treatment...no other place will accept me." he said, trying not to cough. He couldn't supress a cough, and he coughed again, sending more blood from his mouth. "I'll be fine, Yoroto. Just rescue Toharu, will you?"
Yoroto turned and ran up the stairs, disappearingout of Hiro's sight. Hiro stood shakily, looking at the ground and keeping his teeth clenched because the pain was so intense. He turned to the door, trying to keep his balance. He was in so much pain, he could barely see, but he decided he had better take it.
He left the estate, heading back to the Kamiya dojo, in hopes of finding Kenshin and Kaoru before he was found by Yoritomo's Diamyo.