CHAPTER 14- SLAPPING AND SNAPPING
Kazuma stood in their pathway, glowering. Satomi gasped. "Ayabito."
He pointed his sword towards Soujiro. "So, you managed to pull it off, huh? You were able to steal away my wife! She was going to marry ME, you bastard! You stole her!"
Soujiro shakily raised his head. "It.was Satomi's.decision." he replied. "But I must say.I was happy with it."
"I'll kill you before these damned Rebels have the chance!"
"Kuso." Kenshin muttered.
But Satomi stepped in front of them. She gazed up at Kazuma pleadingly. "Ayabito! Please don't do this! Please just leave!"
"SHUT UP, WOMAN!!!!!!!!"
SLAP!!!!!!!
Satomi landed hard on her side, her cheek bright red.
"Hanahara-san!" Kenshin gasped.
Soujiro's head snapped from her struggling form back to Kazuma. His eyes erupted into a blue fire.
Kazuma caught this and sneered. "What are you gonna do about THAT, huh?"
Soujiro jerked himself free of Kenshin, who knowingly took a step back. That one slap had done it.
Satomi sat up, her hand on her cheek. "Soujiro?"
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Soujiro raced forward, faster than he had been as the Heavens' Sword.
"No you don't!" Kazuma met his charge with a swipe of his katana, but Soujiro ducked sharply under it.
Kenshin gawked. "He's without a sword! What is he doing??"
Soujiro, once he had cleared the man's defense, took the offense. Fiercely, he began punching and kicking, using every means of bringing him down, even without a sword. No one had ever seen fists move so fast!
Kenshin ran over to Satomi and helped her up. Meanwhile, a crowd of onlookers began gathering around, awestruck at the dazzling fight.
Kazuma could not withstand the blows for long. Soon, he fell backwards and hit the ground in the same way he had caused Satomi to. But Soujiro kept beating him into a pulp, practically standing on top of him.
Everyone around them was astounded.
"He's gone crazy!"
"It's no surprise he was part of the Juppon Gatana!"
"He can even fight that way WITHOUT a sword!"
Satomi took a step forward, eyes wide. "Soujiro! Soujiro, stop!"
But her words were lost in the sounds of Kazuma's beating. She had to stop this before anyone was killed!
Kenshin could sense what she was going to do. "Hanahara-san?"
She brandished the bokken. "Himura! They are waking up inside that building! You have your sakabatou now! Go and defeat them while I take care of this!"
As usual, he knew when to object and when to not. Nodding, he wheeled and ran to meet the Rebels who were coming out into the light to see what was happening. They had no time to act as Kenshin charged them.
Soujiro saw through red eyes that the sword had fallen from his opponent's hands. "HAH!" He dove for it, blood continuing to spurt from his wounded arm. Once he had it, he raised it high over his head. Kazuma froze in horror. It wasn't the sword that did it. It was the look of sheer menace in Soujiro's eyes.
A wicked smile crossed Soujiro's face, that famous smile. "I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU, YOU BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Eisuke pushed through the crowds, leading the other students from Satomi's school. They saw Soujiro bring down the gleaming sword.
CLACK!!!!!
Satomi blocked the final blow with the bokken. "Soujiro, please don't kill."
He calmed slightly, though his eyes still blazed. "Sa.tomi." The evil smile faded.
She looked deep into his eyes. "Please.Soujiro.no more killing. Ayabito deserves a good pummeling, but if you kill him, he has no chance to start over! He'll just be dead!"
She felt the katana tremble. The deadly look on Soujiro's face faded away, leaving the face she loved.
Kazuma slipped into unconsciousness. "Satomi."
The katana fell to the ground. Soujiro shook his head abruptly. "Satomi!"
"Soujiro!" She dropped the bokken and flung her arms around him. "I love you."
He hugged her back. "I love you too." Then, he fainted.
Kazuma stood in their pathway, glowering. Satomi gasped. "Ayabito."
He pointed his sword towards Soujiro. "So, you managed to pull it off, huh? You were able to steal away my wife! She was going to marry ME, you bastard! You stole her!"
Soujiro shakily raised his head. "It.was Satomi's.decision." he replied. "But I must say.I was happy with it."
"I'll kill you before these damned Rebels have the chance!"
"Kuso." Kenshin muttered.
But Satomi stepped in front of them. She gazed up at Kazuma pleadingly. "Ayabito! Please don't do this! Please just leave!"
"SHUT UP, WOMAN!!!!!!!!"
SLAP!!!!!!!
Satomi landed hard on her side, her cheek bright red.
"Hanahara-san!" Kenshin gasped.
Soujiro's head snapped from her struggling form back to Kazuma. His eyes erupted into a blue fire.
Kazuma caught this and sneered. "What are you gonna do about THAT, huh?"
Soujiro jerked himself free of Kenshin, who knowingly took a step back. That one slap had done it.
Satomi sat up, her hand on her cheek. "Soujiro?"
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Soujiro raced forward, faster than he had been as the Heavens' Sword.
"No you don't!" Kazuma met his charge with a swipe of his katana, but Soujiro ducked sharply under it.
Kenshin gawked. "He's without a sword! What is he doing??"
Soujiro, once he had cleared the man's defense, took the offense. Fiercely, he began punching and kicking, using every means of bringing him down, even without a sword. No one had ever seen fists move so fast!
Kenshin ran over to Satomi and helped her up. Meanwhile, a crowd of onlookers began gathering around, awestruck at the dazzling fight.
Kazuma could not withstand the blows for long. Soon, he fell backwards and hit the ground in the same way he had caused Satomi to. But Soujiro kept beating him into a pulp, practically standing on top of him.
Everyone around them was astounded.
"He's gone crazy!"
"It's no surprise he was part of the Juppon Gatana!"
"He can even fight that way WITHOUT a sword!"
Satomi took a step forward, eyes wide. "Soujiro! Soujiro, stop!"
But her words were lost in the sounds of Kazuma's beating. She had to stop this before anyone was killed!
Kenshin could sense what she was going to do. "Hanahara-san?"
She brandished the bokken. "Himura! They are waking up inside that building! You have your sakabatou now! Go and defeat them while I take care of this!"
As usual, he knew when to object and when to not. Nodding, he wheeled and ran to meet the Rebels who were coming out into the light to see what was happening. They had no time to act as Kenshin charged them.
Soujiro saw through red eyes that the sword had fallen from his opponent's hands. "HAH!" He dove for it, blood continuing to spurt from his wounded arm. Once he had it, he raised it high over his head. Kazuma froze in horror. It wasn't the sword that did it. It was the look of sheer menace in Soujiro's eyes.
A wicked smile crossed Soujiro's face, that famous smile. "I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU, YOU BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Eisuke pushed through the crowds, leading the other students from Satomi's school. They saw Soujiro bring down the gleaming sword.
CLACK!!!!!
Satomi blocked the final blow with the bokken. "Soujiro, please don't kill."
He calmed slightly, though his eyes still blazed. "Sa.tomi." The evil smile faded.
She looked deep into his eyes. "Please.Soujiro.no more killing. Ayabito deserves a good pummeling, but if you kill him, he has no chance to start over! He'll just be dead!"
She felt the katana tremble. The deadly look on Soujiro's face faded away, leaving the face she loved.
Kazuma slipped into unconsciousness. "Satomi."
The katana fell to the ground. Soujiro shook his head abruptly. "Satomi!"
"Soujiro!" She dropped the bokken and flung her arms around him. "I love you."
He hugged her back. "I love you too." Then, he fainted.