Chapter 11:

Reason Being


The morning sky was overcast, but the sun fought to break through cracks in the blanket of clouds. The usually brilliant sun had to play second fiddle, only lighting the sky enough to let it be known day was here. This is how Kenshin met the new day as he exited the cave. He still had to adjust his eyes, as he had gotten used to the darkness within. He looked about taking in the damp, cool air. He saw his horse and smiled. He approached the magnificent creature, but stepped back as he got closer.


Footprints.


Someone had been here overnight, the soggy ground proved that. It was a male. His print was deep, but narrow, indicating a tall, slender build. Kenshin screwed his face, trying to figure out who could have stumbled across this area.


Or was he being followed.


"Footprints," Kaoru said to herself a bit of disbelief, hanging over Kenshin's shoulder. He turned to her and nodded, outlining the print with his finger.


"It is a familiar to me, but I don't know why," he said, stand up, putting his hand on his hilt. Kaoru's face grew serious and she realized the implications of this discovery. She did her best to find rarely trekked areas so not to be disturbed. This is not a place someone finds by chance.


"Someone is after me," Kaoru said, her tone low, but clear. This woman was so unlike the Kaoru he had known. He had remembered when Kaoru took off her Kimono and ribbon and stepped into her dogi. She had the heart and determination of a swordsman then. It was always in her, he supposed.

The swordsman...not the murderer.


"These tracks a few hours old. I think we will be able to follow them for a ways," he said, mounting his horse.


Kaoru nodded, then joined him on the mare. This time, she let him lead and he followed the trail of footprints until the led to a burnt-out campfire. Then there were two more sets. Kenshin eyed a pattern. Someone had been practicing a martial arts. Then the prints merged and left to the direction of his town.


"Whoever is following us went ahead. They are probably leading an ambush," Kaoru said, looking at her surroundings closely. Kenshin nodded and calculated how long it would take for them to arrive to town on foot.


"They will not get there long before us. Must be some well-planned affair," Kenshin said as they began to move forward. Kaoru "hmphed" and braced the sides of the horse.


"Whoever they are, they will be in for a rude awakening when they encounter two Hitokiri's," she said with a hint of cruel pleasure in her voice. She was already imagining slashing her stalker in two. The smell of blood entered her nostrils and the corners of her lips curled into an almost evil smile. Kenshin's expression remained unchanged. Her words chilled his blood, but he did not want to bring up her choice of life again. He didn't want to start arguing again. He didn't want to upset her.


But...there's always a but.


She a cocky. She is one hundred percent sure of her ability, as so is he, but something is not right. Something didn't feel right. Why would the group not attack while they were sleep in the cave? Kenshin was vulnerable. Whoever planned this wasn't just some amateur.


"We must be very careful. If they are after one of us, trust they know our strength," he said as they trotted along. Kaoru rolled her eyes and leaned forward to whisper in Kenshin's ear.


"Yes, they are only preparing for one killer, not two. We will cut them down to size easily," she purred. Kenshin stopped the horse and turned to a surprised Kaoru.


"Kaoru, I am not a mercenary like you, I try not to kill," he said firmly, his violet eyes piercing her blue orbs. She returned the stare, not believing his words.


"Then why carry the katana if you don't kill...or as you said 'try' not to kill," she spat. Kenshin lowered his eyes. Yes, he did let that slip. He didn't want her to know for sure. He wanted her to speculate, but the truth is always revealed.


Always.


He took a deep breath and dismounted the horse and Kaoru followed, bewildered. This would be interesting.


"After I accidentally killed Tomoe, I had the crossed shaped scar. I made a pact to never kill again, after the Revolution of course. After I received the second slash, whenever I killed, the wound reopened and bled. I guess it was Tomoe's way of keeping me in line, so I would never forget. When I began to wander, the wound began to heal and never bled again, because I never killed."


"After I left you, I went in search of my Master. I found him outside of Kyoto. I begged him to teach me the final technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. After some convincing, he agreed. It was very difficult training...I even turned into the Battousai in an attempt to master the skill, but he shunned me. He said I needed to search deep in my heart, for the heart of a murderer could never master the technique. So, I sat in the rain all night, trying to find the piece of the puzzle. I never did, until it was time to attack," he said, pausing as swallowed hard. Kaoru was biting her lip, waiting for the next detail. She was in suspense.

"SO what happened," she asked, wanting him to continue. Kenshin looked up at her, his eyes sad.


"I thought of you...and of the others. How you all had the will to move on, move forward. As I had been, I did not care if I lived or died. This was especially true if I turned into the Battousai. As the Rurouni, I learned to love and care again. I wanted to live...to see you again," he said as his voice wavered. Tears began to form in Kaoru's eyes.


"And..." she said, edging him to continue. His eyes were hidden behind his bangs as his lips barely moved.


"I mastered the technique. And in doing so, I killed him...with the Sakabatou," his low voice uttered. Kaoru's eyes grew wide with shock. The power he must had gained in order to kill with that sword is completely mind-boggling.

"So, you broke you promise...and your wound bled," she said more to herself than to Kenshin. Still, he nodded and rose his head, revealing a single tear upon his left cheek, where his scar had turned red.

"The blood gushed from my wound. I felt lightheaded, that's how bad it bled. For days, I felt lost. The Sakabatou was supposed to dampen my power, prevent me from killing. I had failed. The Sakabatou had failed. I could no longer carry it...the sword that killed my master. So, I figured that a Katana would serve me better. I try not to use my sword if possible, but I warn if I must, I will kill. I can say only two others have fallen victim, others severely injured, maimed. Now, my wound bleeds often. I have broken many promises, as you stated before...but I have never turned into the Battousai. Master taught me how to use all of my strength without ever having to revert. I am a killer without him. Is that a blessing or a curse," he said, walking back over to him mare, patting her nose.

Kaoru looked at the ground, her mind trying to accept what she had just heard. It was difficult to take in, but she understood. Besides, there was no time to be angry at him. They had more pressing matters to tend to. Kaoru took in a deep breath and climbed back onto the back of the horse. Kenshin did not question her, only followed suit and they continued on.

I know, I know. I'm killing off everyone. I'm sorry, Kenshin's master is just too damn cocky for my fanfic...LOL. He's the RK version of Vegeta for cripe's sake, LOL. Anyhoo, hope you enjoyed this chapter. More to come as I scrape up free time.