Kenshin walked through the garden with his head bowed. The tears had stopped for the moment, but his heart still felt heavy from bringing up his most feared memory. iKaoru just doesn't understand,/i he thought. iI can't fall in love again, not when I still love Tomoe. Why can't I just let her go? She's been dead for nearly 7 years now.../i He jumped when he heard a noise. There was a man standing on top of the wall!br
"So, Battousai, we meet again."br
iI'd recognize that voice anywhere! But I KILLED him!/i Kenshin thought. It was the voice of the one who had loved Tomoe all those years ago: Taisuke.br
"I THOUGHT I KILLED YOU!" Kenshin yelled. His fists were clenched and his teeth were ground together. This was the man he hated most in the world.br
"Oh no, I'm very much alive, and I escaped our little encounter with nothing except for this." He pointed to a cross shaped scar on the cheek opposite the one Kenshin's was on. The scar brought terrible memories flooding back.p
i"I'll kill you, Taisuke!"br
"The day all Hell freezes over!"br
The two ran at each other, swords poised for the killing blow...p
And we would have killed each other, too,/iKenshin thought,i had it not been for...p
"HYAAAAAAAAAH!" The swordsmen yelled, feet pounding the ground. But just then a girl screamed something into the fray.br
"STOP!" Tomoe shouted. Kenshin and Taisuke looked over, missing each other's throats by inches, but leaving a deep gash in opposite cheeks.p
Tomoe...She's the only reason I'm alive right now... /iKenshin's hand travelled up to his scar...br
"THIS IS NO TIME FOR OLD MEMORIES, BATTOUSAI! PREPARE TO DIE!" Taisuke jumped down off the wall, black hair whipping in the wind and sword drawn.br
Kenshin reached for his own sword, only to find it gone. iI left it in the house!/i He realized with a jolt. iWhat do I do now...?/ibr
"KENSHIN! MOVE!" Sanosuke shoved Kenshin out of the way. The two tumbled along the walkway, coming to a stop a couple feet away. "What were you thinking? He was coming at you with a sword, dammit!"br
"I'm sorry, Sano... I was lost in thought." Kenshin rubbed his head.br
"No time for that now!" Sanosuke shoved Kenshin's sword into his hand. Taisuke was getting up from where he had almost killed Kenshin.br
"Very good, Battousai. But had it not been for your little friend, you'd be dead. I WON'T MISS THIS TIME!" Taisuke charged at the two.br
Kenshin drew his reverse-blade sword. "Don't--call--me--BATTOUSAI!" Kenshin's eyes blazed yellow. He met Taisuke's blade with a tremendous clang. There was crash after crash as the two swords met over and over. Finally Taisuke thrusted so hard it threw Kenshin off balance, breaking his sword and throwing him against the wall.br
Taisuke snickered. "Now, you die. GOODBYE BATTOUSAI! HYAAAAA-- UGH!!!!" Sanosuke had hit him from behind, sending him unconscious over the wall.br
"Kenshin! KENSHIN! Are you with me, pal? Say something!" Sano cradled Kenshin's head in one hand and slapped his face with the other.br
"What happened? OH MY GOD!" Kaoru came running out of the house, followed by Yahiko, Ayame, and Suzume. "Yahiko! You and the girls stay back!" She screamed.br
Yahiko nodded and picked the two little girls up. "Kaoru! Is he ok?!" Yahiko craned his neck to see what was going on.br
Kaoru shook Kenshin hard. "Kenshin! Wake up! Oh, Kenshin!" She crossed her arms on his chest, laid her head in them and started to cry.br
Kenshin coughed up blood and uttered one word. "Tomoe..."centerp***p/center
Kenshin came to a couple of days later. His head and chest were bandaged, and he had a patch over his scar. Apparently the strain had burst it open again. Megumi was changing his bandages.br
"Rrg..." He muttered.br
"Oh, Sir Ken! You're awake!" Megumi looked over at him fondly. "Feel any better?"br
"I'm sad to say I still hurt all over, Miss Megumi."br
Megumi nodded. "Well, that's only to be expected after the fall you had. Here, drink this. It's pain reliever. I haven't been able to give you any since you were asleep, so it should help a lot." She poured some foul smelling liquid into a cup.br
"How long have I been out?" Kenshin asked, eyeing the medicine apprehensively.br
"About a week," Megumi replied. "Here, take this." She held out the medicine.br
Kenshin gulped and reached for it. "Oww... Did I break my arm?" He took it with the hand that hurt less and downed it quickly.br
Megumi shook her head. "No, but you were close. It'll hurt for a couple days, that's for sure." She took the empty cup. "I do hope you feel better soon. You're all everyone has talked about since the accident."br
There was a knock at the door. "Miss Megumi?" Kaoru's voice came through. "How's he doing?"br
"He's awake now, if that's what you mean. Come on in."br
Kaoru stepped into the room. When she saw Kenshin, she blushed deeply and said, "Glad to see you're awake..."br
Kenshin sighed. Kaoru still didn't get it. "Yes, but I'm afraid I haven't recovered completely." Kenshin sat up.br
"You really shouldn't move, Sir Ken," Megumi fretted. She moved to push Kenshin back down, but he had already walked past Kaoru and out the door.br
iI have to find Sano,/i he thought, i to thank him for coming to my rescue.../i He turned a corner and came out into the backyard.br
"Hey Kenshin," Sanosuke said. He was sitting up on the wall, tossing a rock up and down. "Our friend didn't stay long. Even after that punch I gave him, he got up and left."br
Kenshin smiled. "Sano... Thank you for what you did."br
Sanosuke gave him the thumbs up. "Your problem is you've always had to do it alone. You don't realize that now you have someone to help you."br
Kenshin stared at Sanosuke. His friend had hit the nail on the head. "How...how did you..."br
"Know?" Sanosuke finished. "Because I was the same way...before I found you." He jumped down from the wall and gave the shocked manslayer a hug. Kenshin looked up at him, eyes wide, not knowing what to say. "Kenshin, you showed me that there ARE some people in this world that are worth the time to get to know. You were my friend when the rest of the world had given up on me." He hugged him tighter. "Promise me we'll always stick together as best friends, ok Kenshin?"br
Kenshin laughed in disbelief. "Do you really mean that, Sanosuke Sagara? Do you really want me as a friend?"br
Sanosuke looked at him. "Do I ever say anything I don't mean?"br
Kenshin laughed. "Yes, like when you tell Miss Kaoru you won't go gambling?"br
Sanosuke shook Kenshin lightly. "YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! I'm trying to be sentimental here..."br
Kenshin hugged Sanosuke's thin frame. "Then let's stick together. We've gone through too much to take another loss."br
"AWRIGHT!" Sanosuke ruffled Kenshin's hair. "Well, I gotta go wax that floor I owe you. So stick around, and maybe we can go down to the river and fish or something."br
"I'll be there." Kenshin watched Sanosuke retreat into the house. iThat was unexpected,/ihe thought. iWhy do they all love me so much? What have I done to deserve their devotion? A manslayer like me.../ibr
"Hey Kenshin!" Kaoru ran out into the yard and hugged him with all her might.br
"Aagh..." Kenshin's ribs exploded with pain. "Miss...Miss Kaoru...Rrg..."br
"Oh God, I'm sorry Kenshin! Are you alright?" She backed up quickly. "I was just so happy to see you--you've been out for a week--I just thought--"br
Kenshin put a finger over her lips and managed a weak smile. "D-don't worry about it...It doesn't hurt that much..."br
"Kenshin, I'm sorry I wasn't there when you were attacked, I maybe could've stopped it-"br
"You couldn't have done anything."br
"How do you know?!" She was suddenly angry. "I'm a lot better swordsman than you take me for, Kenshin Himura!"br
"I just didn't want another person I cared about to be hurt, that's all. I know you could probably have taken Taisuke on your own if you really tried."br
"Oh...KENSHIN!" Kaoru leaned forward and, putting her arms around his neck, kissed him right on the lips.br
Kenshin's eyes were wide. He was powerless to do anything. "Oh, Miss Tomoe..."br
"What was that?" Kaoru was bright red. "I'm...sorry I didn't know what came over me..."br
Kenshin averted his eyes. "Oh, that's quite alright..." But it wasn't. That one kiss had aroused memories he wanted to consider forgotten. Pictures of Tomoe, Taisuke, and the battle floated through his mind as if they had just happened yesterday. "Miss Kaoru, I don't feel well. I think I'm going to ask Miss Megumi for some medicine." He got up and left without waiting for her consent.br
iI guess I'll just wait for Sano to finish with that floor,/i he thought. He stood outside the kitchen door and picked a cherry blossom up from the ground. iMust've fallen from a tree nearby./i He looked around for the tree, but there wasn't another pink blossom in sight. iThat's odd.../i Just then a memory floated through his mind.p
i"Here, Battousai. I want you to have this in gratitude for saving my life." Miss Tomoe held out a cherry blossom. "It's sakura. My mother always said that they brought good luck when given from one person to another. I wish it to you when you fight for the government, however lousy their intentions might be."br
"Thank you," Kenshin replied. He pocketed the small flower.br
"Think of me when you see another one, ok?" Miss Tomoe grinned sheepishly. "I know I sound cheezy, but I don't want you to forget me."br
Kenshin nodded. "It's not easy to forget someone like you."br
"What's that supposed to mean? That I'm ugly, or annoying? Gee thanks."br
"Nono, not at all. It's just hard to forget about the first person in 10 years to say something cheerful to you."br
"Really?" Miss Tomoe's voice was wavering. "You mean no one's said anything nice to you for 10 years?"br
"Why would anyone have anything good to say about a manslayer?"br
"That's a stupid question, but one I don't have an answer for."br
"Then it's not a stupid question, now is it?"br
"There are stupid questions that don't have answers. Like "Why did the chicken cross the road?" Stuff like that."br
Kenshin sighed. "I don't have time for this, Miss Tomoe. I have a job to do."br
"I know... Well, I'll see you around, ok?"br
"Yeah...see you around." And Kenshin walked away into the night./ip
"I never did see her again..." /iKenshin said to himself.br
"What was that, Kenshin?" Sanosuke appeared from inside, smelling strongly of floor wax. In fact, it was so strong that Kenshin coughed and sprang away.br
"Ugh, Sano, how can you STAND smelling like that?"br
"Smelling like what?" Sanosuke sniffed his hand. "AGH! Kenshin, why didn't you TELL me that stuff reeked like this?!"br
"You...you mean you couldn't itell/i?" Kenshin's eyes were watering. He coughed again. "Figures..."br
"Well, nothing to do about it now. Let's go fishing, shall we?"br
"You'll scare all the fish away smelling like that! Not to mention anything ELSE that might by some horrible chance of misfortune be in the area..."br
"Oh, can it Kenshin. I'll go take a bath if it means that much to you." He walked back into the house.br
iNow would be a good time to find that cherry tree,/i Kenshin thought. He climbed up and over the fence and walked down the street. There were no cherry trees anywhere. Kenshin decided to ask someone who knew the town where he could find one.br
An old woman was sweeping her porch. "Is there anything I can help you with, young man?" She called.br
Kenshin jumped. "Um, yes as a matter of fact...Do you know where I could find a cherry tree?"br
"That's a very unusual question, but there aren't any cherry trees and there haven't been for the last 50 years. It's the wrong climate, not to mention they would have gone out of bloom a few months ago." She sighed dreamily. "I remember playing through the cherry trees when I was just a girl back in china..."br
Kenshin sensed a long flashback coming. "Well I really need to get going. Thanks for the information." But the lady was too far into her story to notice Kenshin slip away over the garden wall.br
His heart was pounding as he walked back to find Sanosuke. i"...but there aren't any cherry trees and there haven't been for the last 50 years..."/i He shook his head. iMaybe it's not a cherry blossom after all.../i He took it out of his pocket and examined it yet again. No, it was definitely a cherry blossom. He was about to kiss the petals when Sanosuke burst out the front door being chased by Kaoru.br
"THAT'LL BE THE LAST TIME YOU USE MY GOOD SHAMPOO, SANOSUKE SAGARA! DO YOU HEAR ME?!" Kaoru was throwing empty shampoo bottles at Sanosuke's head.br
"C'mon Kenshin let's go! RUN!" Sanosuke grabbed Kenshin's hair and dragged him away down the street towards the fishing hole.br
iWhat was I thinking? It will only bring back bad memories.../i As Kenshin ran into the wind, he let the small flower fall from his hand and float away into the breeze.br
Sanosuke looked back. "What was that?" He asked.br
"Oh...nothing. Just something that was stuck to my shirt, that's all."br
Sanosuke shrugged and turned as he came to the pond. "Ready?" He tossed Kenshin a pole.br
"Yeah." They both cast out into the water.br
After a while of silence, a question came to Kenshin's mind. "Sano?"br
"Yo."br
"Why do you insist on being friends with me?"br
Sano looked at him. "What kind of question is that?"br
"It's just that we met as enemies, that's all. You were determined to kill me. Why didn't you go through with it?"br
"You still think too much like a manslayer. Things change."br
That last comment stung like a hot knife. After all the care he had taken to get away from being a manslayer, he was still considered one. Maybe he could never become a fully normal person...br
"Maybe I SHOULD go back to being a manslayer," Kenshin said quietly. "After all, everyone seems to think I still am one."br
"DON'T EVER SAY THAT!" Sano knocked Kenshin over with a punch to the shoulder. "You were the one who taught ME that the past isn't always what it seems! Besides, I don't know what I would do without ya buddy."br
Kenshin rubbed his shoulder. "Make up your mind! First you say that I think too much like a manslayer, then you say that I taught you to forget about your past."br
"I'm sorry Kenshin, but you seem to teeter back and forth from manslayer to wanderer. It's hard for me to decide as well."br
Kenshin looked at the still surface of the water. "I know, Sano. I know."br
"How touching."br
"HUH?!" Sano and Kenshin whirled around to see Taisuke standing behind them. Both lept to their feet.br
Taisuke smirked. "You two are pathetic. Battousai, have you forgotten everything you learned as a manslayer? If someone's out to kill you, shouldn't you kill them first? It's elementary, Battousai."br
"I AM NOT BATTOUSAI!" Kenshin screamed. He drew his reverse-blade sword and held it at ready.br
Taisuke laughed at his determination. "I heard your entire conversation with your so-called friend. You're not sure? Well, let me put in a piece of advice. Be the manslayer. There is nothing in this world that surpasses the feeling of exhileration you get when you're fighting to the death."br
"I--WILL--NOT! You're wrong! There ARE things better than taking someone's life!"br
"Oh? Then prove me wrong, Battousai. Just TRY to prove me wrong." Taisuke charged faster than the eye could follow, shoving Sanosuke out of the way and meeting Kenshin's blade with a deafening crash. The blade shook, then shattered into a million pieces. Kenshin fell back in shock, staring Taisuke in the eye.br
"Do you see now? You can never win again when you're not fighting to kill." Taisuke threw a sword to the ground at Kenshin's feet. "Pick it up, Battousai. Fight me for real."br
"Don't do it Kenshin!" Sanosuke screamed. "Don't be the heartless manslayer!" He stood in front of Kenshin. "I'll kill him myself rather than watch you degrade yourself to his level."br
Taisuke leered at Sanosuke. "So, you wish to die first? So be it." He resheathed his sword and beckoned to his new opponent.br
"I'm glad to see that you at least won't use a sword against an unarmed man. Maybe you do have a shred of decency left in that ugly heart of yours." Sanosuke walked forward.br
"We'll see who has more "decency" at the end of this," Taisuke spat under his breath.br
iI recognize that stance,/i Kenshin thought. iThat's one of the most powerful sword attacks ever created! The sheath slash!/i "WAIT! SANO, DON'T GO ANY CLOSER!" Kenshin grabbed the sword from the ground and ran in front of Sanosuke just in time to block the tremendous slash that would have cut his best friend in half. A line of blood appeared on his forearm.br
Taisuke laughed in triumph. "So the Battousai emerges at last! You picked up that sword, and there's no turning back! So let us battle as we would in the revolution! NO RESTRAINTS!" Taisuke turned and slashed at Kenshin's side. Kenshin blocked easily and sent a counter blow at Taisuke's neck. Taisuke moved, but a cut appeared at the base of his collar bone.br
"You...BASTARD!" Taisuke met swords with Kenshin once again.br
"I don't know what you're talking about, Taisuke. You seem to be the one who challenged me in the first place." Kenshin blocked another blow that was aimed for his head. "You fight out of sheer anger and vengeance. I fight to protect someone, someone who is very close to me. My best friend. But you wouldn't understand that, now WOULD YOU?!" He thrusted, sending his blade through Taisuke's shoulder.br
Taisuke jumped back, clutching the now streaming wound. "You HAVE grown soft, Battousai. You just gave me the key to victory."br
Kenshin looked at him coldly.br
"What do you mean, idiot?!" Sanosuke screamed. "Kenshin's not the one with a hole the size of my fist in his shoulder!"br
"Sano, don't. Just run. Get as far away from here as possible." Kenshin swung at Taisuke again.br
"Why?! Kenshin, I want to help you! Don't you understand? As willing as you are to fight for me, I'm just as willing to fight for you! Just let me HELP!" Sano charged at Taisuke. "HYAAAAAAAAAAH!"br
Taisuke turned and shot sideways just as Sano threw a punch that could have knocked out an elephant. "HOLD STILL DAMMIT!" Sano punched over and over, every time Taisuke dodging just in time.br
"Sano don't!" Kenshin tried to interfere, but Sanosuke just kept moving the battle away from him. Kenshin had to sit back helpless as the battle of the century happened before his eyes.br
"YOU FOOL! YOU JUST GAVE ME THE BATTOUSAI'S LIFE!" Taisuke thrusted his sword, sending it straight through Sanosuke's stomach. He then threw a strange powder on the wound, healing it up immediately then knocking Sanosuke out cold. "Goodbye, Battousai! We'll meet again, I'm sure of it!" He then swung Sanosuke over his shoulder and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.p