*Sarkia`s POV*
As I sat waiting for Starlight to walk down the long twisted halls of her mind back to our meeting room, I wondered why she had not followed my warrnings not to talk to the group. I pulled myself from my thoughts as Starlight slid the door open. The room was pitch dark, and it wouldn`t get any lighter till she sat down. The rurouni came inside, unerringly finding her way to the middle of the room. She sat down on the floor, placing her sword in front of her and waiting. I struck a light, slowly brightening up the room. The rurouni was sitting on the other side of a small table. A pot of tea and a small bottle of sake sat there, along with our two cups. I calmly sat on the other side of the table.
We were a study in contrasts, if anyone lived so long as to study us. I wore a simple, yet well-made uniform in shades of purple and blue, like I always did. My long black hair was pulled up in a high ponytail and I was sure my eyes seemed to flicker from a light green to a deep gold. Two swords- my katana and my wakizashi- lay in front of me. Though I was small and seemingly slight of form, a palpable aura of danger surrounded me, leaving no room for doubt that I was a deadly and formidable swordsman.
On the other hand, the rurouni looked as if she'd seen better days. Her gi and hakama were patched and worn. Her pure black hair was caught by a strip of cloth at her nape of her neck and her eyes were an unusualy dark shade of green. The sword that lay in front of her was her own sakabatou- its sharp and blunt edges reversed, a sword unsuitable for killing. She looked very young, her delicate little face always wearing a sweet, gentle expression, giving her an innocent and harmless air, except for the shadows in her eyes and the long scar on her cheek.
As different as we seemed at first glance, the rurouni and I shared one thing in common- our faces were exactly the same. But then, that wasn't surprising, since the rurouni and I were essentially the same person. Only, we were just different sides of the same coin. The rurouni spoke first. "Sarkia, why have you called me?"
"We need to talk."
"I thought we had more or less settled things already." The rurouni bent over a little to pour herself some tea.
I laughed softly. "It's not that. Though I did have a heck of a time getting you to accept me." I was a curser, though I never cursed when around her. I`d hardly ever cursed since she`d accepted me, cursing was my way of letting off steam, though since Starlight`d had eccepted me, I`d been blowing steam off with the training gear she`d gotten me.
I watched as the rurouni flushed slightly. "It's not easy for anyone to come to terms with their dark side."
I shook my head, leaning over to brush her bangs back behind a ear as I did. "I'm not really your 'evil twin', Kallan." I paused, leaning back to where I had been before, and poured myself some sake. Sometimes I wished we`d never come to terms, it didn`t seem right for her to not know everything about me. "I am the part of you that is capable of cold, ruthless action. I hold all your shadows, all your dark emotions. And I am also the one who ensures we survive. You- and all those that we love."
"Sanosuke."
I smiled faintly. "He's wonderful." To bad he has yet to remember us.
The rurouni's smile was an echo of the my own, I hated to put her though these kind of things. "We don't deserve him."
"True. And then, there's the rest of our little family too. I will not let anything happen to them. Especially now." I told her, remembering about our clan and the orphans who`d became our family, and even the Battousai, who didn`t know I was here yet. I sipped my sake and made that face again, telling Starlight I didn`t like the taste. "Feh. It still tastes like blood."
Starlight shook her head this time. "It's the guilt, Sarkia. That's why we stay away from sake, remember?"
Ya, I remembered, I still wanted the sake though. "Hn. Guilt's a poisonous emotion, Kallan. We'd better work this out sooner or later, if only for the sake of our sanity."
"Careful," said Starlight, a mischievous glint lighting up her eyes. "Do you want to start sounding like Kinfo?"
"Che! Kallan-" I choked for a moment, then, I struck back, knowing that devilment was shining clear in my eyes as well. "Well, we share more in common with her than you think."
Starlight shuddered. "No thanks! Let's not even go there." Kinfo was one who always had her eyes on Sanosuke, even though I`m sure he`s forgotten of the time he met Starlight and Kinfo by now. After all, he didn`t seem to reconize Starlight at that lunch place of his. (AN: Kinfo is actuly after the guy I like and I hate her for it, so I`ve put her in here as a bad guy and Starlight`s rivel. She also mastered the Kaljustis stile not a week later then I, and she moved up in rank when she started her magic training so she now goes by Kalimo. Imo is short for Imotikoins, which is her rank. When she masters all her magics, she`ll be called Kalikonivon, with her rank being Nivonesti. You get Iko added after the Kal once you finish the thirty magic classes. I`m staying as a warrior, though sooner or later, I`ll become a Emotional Warrior, which is a Warrior who`ll even kill someone they care about if they are a threat to the life of the warrior. In which, I`ll go by Kalsalan)
I sipped again at my sake. "Blood or not, I still need a drink. All Cally's fault- of course, the one thing we must've picked up from her. You'll be wanting one too, after I tell you what's going on." I set my black cup down, careful not to make it shatter, something I would have done if I`d of sat it down like I normaly do. "Something is wrong, Kallan. I don't know what it is and I don't like that. But it bodes danger for us and for our family." (AN: Cally is the leader of a clan called Sanlai, she`s also a major prep. So, in this story, she`s one of Starlight`s old, yet dead, enemys; got killed when a bliding crumbled ^.^ and no, in reality, she`s not dead)
In the waking world, the rurouni would not consciously remember all her dreams. But now, here in this place, she did. "The blood dreams..."
"Hai." I poured myself another cup of sake. "The dreams where we stalked the English settlements as the Hunter, when we killed all those people..."
"...and enjoyed it," concluded Starlight sickly. "Delighting in it, especially when the blood ran on the ground. But we never-"
"No," I told her harshly. "I enjoy the battle, and the blood, but only at times, thats why I`m the Man Hunter, Starlight, you know this. As I've said, I hold all the dark emotions you feel, and the taste for fresh blood on the full moons; dark or light. Its a habbit I gained when I was yet a young child. But the bloodlust in the dreams- berserker furies, this is not me. Not us. Never us. You don't remember the dreams when you wake- I've tried to protect you from them. But now, you must remember."
"But why are we having these dreams? If it's from guilt, I can understand. But this?" Starlight was baffled, I couldn`t tell if it was from her knowing I ran about as a blood raving killer on the full moons, or if it was from the dreams we`ve been having about us having a taste for blood every night.
"The last time we were haunted by dreams of the past, Kinfo came to challenge us. Then, we had to leave for Sanlai to battle Cally."
"These dreams are a warning then."
"Not quite." I paused, I knew Starlight would think I was trying to grope words, and I hated how obviously it was every time we meet. "The dreams aren't just warnings. They're something else." I knew my golden eyes looked troubled, and I was troubled. I hated that too. "Something is making us dream these dreams, Kallan. I can sense it. You know we have certain talents- our warrior's sixth sense is one of them. It warns us when danger is coming. And it IS coming. Watch out for it, Kallan. I am afraid it will bring harm to the ones we care about."
"I will, Sarkia, trust me, I`ll be on guard." She sat her white cup down and used her sword to stand. She then turned and started walking to the door.
"Kallan, why did you talk to that group even when I told you not to?" I asked her when she was nearly to the door.
She stoped only after she`d opened the door. "I was talking to the Hitokiri Battousai and his family." After speaking over her shoulder at me, she left me to my thoughts, sliding the door closed.
So the Battousai had a family now, I was glad. He and his own rurouni had always wanted one. And Starlight had talked to his family as well, that means the rurouni known as Kenshin had found a place to call home. I wished Starlight and I had a place to do such, but when our clan was destroyed, I was given a job to do, become the Man Hunter in Starlight`s place, and yet, last night, I was there. I knew that last night wasn`t a full moon, but I had drawn my blade and killed a whole hord of samurai. Sometime in the night, I must of bit my lower lip, because me and Starlight were bleading from a small hole this morning. As I reached for my blades, I reached for my wakizashi first. Touching the blade, last night`s memorys came flooding back into my mind. My wakizashi slicing the samurai, my warnings for them to stay away, the screams as my blade flashed in the moonlight, the blood on my blade, the bloody fangs I`d seen in the reflection of the blade itself, myself licking the blood off the blade and grining in reaction to its taste... I suddenly took over Starlight`s body, she wouldn`t need it while she was wandering her mind. I had expected to be on the tree branch she`d nodded off in, but when I opened her- no- my eyes, I found I was in the Kamiya Dojo. I pailed, noticing all of the people Starlight had talked to sitting around me. "She has golden eyes!" One of the people gasped.
"Megumi, calm down."
I gasped at the voice. It was the deep voice of the Battousai. I looked up to his golden eyes, reaching my hand up to trace his cross-shaped scar, recoling my hand when I felt it burn. Right, it was a cross, and the Man Slayer I was becoming was a Vampire. A cross` magic keeps Vampires in line, I remembered Starlight saying. I reached up again, this time keeping my hand half a inch from his scar. I was sure he would have leaned into it, but he just looked at me with cold anger. I shivered at the thought, he was mad at me for killing all those men. I started to move my hand back down to my side, only to have the Battousai grab it angerly. "Watashi desu kowai watashi-"
He cut me off, much like Kenshin`s friend had cut off my rurouni when she went to say she couldn`t teach that young boy Kaljustis. "Let me guess, you couldn`t stop it?" I cringed at both his snear and his grip, looking away, quiet ashamed I couldn`t stop the transformation from starting. His grip lossened and his voice became softer, though still deep, like I had remembered it from so many years ago. "I am quiet awar that you could not sense the change, but you could have fought it. Your new rurouni can`t handle things like this!" He was scolding me, even though when we both had body`s of our own thousand years ago, we had been together ourselves. Though now that we shared body`s with a rurouni, we weren`t alowed to even kiss!
"Gomen." I told him softly, closing my eyes. "I had thought I could come for help, to keep the Man Slayer from coming compleatly into this world." I sat up, pulling my wrist free of his. "Sayonara, Battousai-koi." I whispered softly, standing and walking away from him...and his new family with his rurouni. "May the Fates help you when it comes time for you to battle with the Man Slaying Senshi, both anata and your rurouni." I quickly walked away, my long strides getting me to the door quicker then what Starlight would have done. I felt a hand on my shoulder as I slide the door open, turning around, I found that accursed rooster-haired Fighter for Higher friend of Battousai`s rurouni who went by the name of Sanosuke.
"Why are you leaving?" He asked softly, he spoke like my rurouni and Kenshin, which startled me a bit.
I didn`t speak, the Man Slayer fighting to come out, and me fighting to keep her in. Something snaped, and the Man Slayer came out in the open, pushing me into the back seat, so to speak. I could only watch as the Slayer smiled evily, barring her fangs. Suddenly, I got controle, though only for a moment, just after the Slayer had drew her blade and droped down into the Kaljustis stance. "Run, Sanosuke!" But just as soon as I said the last words, the Slayer got controle of me again and the last thing I heard before I blacked out was Sanosuke yelling for Kenshin and the last thing I saw was Sanosuke jumping back from my wakizashi, the sword I never used. I`d always used my katana when I Hunted, never my wakizashi, though the Slayer had always used my- no- her wakizashi, always.
*Starlight`s POV, a hour later*
My eyes fluttered open and I went to strech, only to find I had been bounded by ropes. Infront of me, I could clearly see Sano, laying in bed, his chest wrapped in bandages as well, as his right arm. "About time you woke up." I heard Sano speak, he didn`t seem angered by what had happened, whatever had happened.
"Why am I tied?" I asked him, trying to remember how he knew english.
He turned his head to look at me, his face held a expression I couldn`t place. "Do you not remember?" I shook my head no, and heard him sigh. I wasn`t sure if the sigh was in anger, pain, or something else. "You attacked me, with that sword of yours." He glanced over to my sword, only it wasn`t my sword. It was Sarkia`s wakizashi, the sword she swore to never use, and it was just out of my reach. Had I not been bound by ropes a inch thick, I could have gotten to it with ease.
"Thats not my sword." I told him truthfully, which only caused him startlement, though he hid it far to well. I could only tell it was there by his eyes.
"How can it not be your sword? You used it!" I remembered that me and Kinfo and taught him a lot of english when we met and during the times we traveled together as children, back when Sanosuke was with that Captain Sagara man.
"Only Sarkia carries a wakizashi. My blade is a sakabatou." I told him what I knew, though I had never seen Sarkia use her wakizashi, I knew it was hers. Leaning back against the wall, I used it as support as I got up and stood, not able to use my arms to do the task at the moment. I took a hesitated step away from the wall and to Sano. His eyes widdened as he realised I was trying to walk over to him and who I was, and in suppise by my actions, he knocked over a small golden bell by his hand.
"What do you nee-" I looked to the woman, who had stoped dead in the middle of a word, staring at me with fear. "KENSHIN!!!!!" I droped to my knees when she yelled the name, wanting badly to cover my ears.
I saw a golden eyed warrior with red hair come running through the door, which was on the other side of Sano. The warrior`s eyes softened slightly when he saw me, though the cold edge never left them. "Whats the matter, Kaoru?" He asked the woman, who was heavy with child, maybe six months along already.
The woman just glared at him, I remembered her name to be Kaoru, Kamiya Kaoru. So they werent married yet? Maybe they just didnt want anyone to know. "She`s awake and was just walking to Sanosuke!" I was suprised by the woman`s hiss at first, then relised that it was just one of them 'Pregnant woman mood swings' that one of my trainers had had when she was going to have a child and someone got her upset or something.
Sano spoke up this time, and I was suprised when I found him defending me. "Its not like she can hurt me, tanuki girl. She just startled me by her movements." This time I fell back, my eyes even wider from startlement. When he had said the words, h-he had smiled at me! It was almost not visable, but I could see it.
"Are you ok, Miss?" I suddenly saw the man at the known as Kenshin looking down at me, his deep vilot eyes full on consern. Why? Just a moment ago, he had been the Battousai.
For a moment, I didn`t reply, my thoughts racing. "Hai. Thank you for caring, you are very kind, that you are." He pulled away from me, wondering why I had spoke in such a way I`m sure. I tried to sit back up, though could do no such thing. I felt his hand go under my back and froze when he tried to help me sit up.
*Leave it to Kenshin to take pitty on the poorer souls.* I growled at Sarkia, though Kenshin had both heard and felt it.
Kenshin leaned down close to me, whispering in my ear. "I know no to whom you growl, that I don`t. But do not anger me any more then you have, it is not wise to do that, it is not." Oh great fighter in heaven and earth, he didn`t have to talk to me like that! I wasn`t a child! Me and Kenshin were the same age, for Goddess Sake! Both of us was 26, though we looked younger then we were. About 12 years younger to be exact.
*He`s just blufing! Let me at him, Starlight! I`ll kill him for the Goddess above!!* There was a odd growl in Sarkia`s voice, and it was deeper then normal.
I growled, and rolled away from Kenshin, fliping up to my feet when I got a good distance. It was a whole lot easier to do when you weren`t close to the wall. I growled again as Kenshin`s mate walked closer to me with that wooden stick she carried like a sword. I nearly missed the sudden flash of gold in Kenshin`s eyes, and the Battousai`s quick flash of anger as he pressed me to the wall. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Sano fighting to stand up. This, I paid no heed to as I fought Sarkia from getting the upper hand and taking over my body. *Kallan....* I could hear her pleading voice, it was back normal and it startled me, causing me to let all my mental defenses down. In the Battousai`s eyes I could see my own flash gold as Sarkia suddenly got controle of my body.
*Normal POV*
Starlight`s eyes flash gold and stayed that way, a sly smile made its way to her face. "Battousai-koi." The golden eyes of the woman were soft, and her voice was both deep and soft.
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!!!" The red haired man roared, pressing the woman to the wall harder then before. The wall itself was starting to crack under the weight.
The woman sighed softly, as if content with her treatment. She started to sing, though what she was singing was a mistery to all others in the room- exept the Battousai.
"Don't look.
Don't speak.
Draw your sword and slash.
Do not hesitate.
Do not allow them to reach you.
Do not let them touch you else you'll break apart.
Justice is not murder.
You are fighting so others may live.
You are killing to create change."
The Battousai let go of the woman, taking a step back. He reconised the part of the song, it was one he and his mate had made when they had body`s of their own so many years ago. "Sar--kia?" He hesitated slightly when he asked, not wishing to believe it.
Sarkia looked up, her soft golden eyes replaced by hard icy ones. She straned slightly, but broke free of her bindings and dove for her sword. The Battoisai got to it first, kicking it out of her reach and over to Kaoru. Sarkia growled, her eyes flashing dangerous fire as she got up. "Battousai the Man Slayer, I think you`ve met your match." Sarkia sent a punch to the unsuspecting red head, knocking him back into a wall. (AN: I can knock my trainer into a wall if I want to! Yay! Goody for me! Ok, ok, I`ll shut up now) Sarkia ran for her blade, which had just been picked up by Kaoru. Quickly snaching the blade from the woman, Sarkia ran back at the Man Slayer, who was pulling himself out of the wall and back into the room.
Suprised by Sarkia`s actions, Battoisai drew his blade and did the only thing he could; block Sarkia`s attacks. The full moon`s not till tomorrow, so why is she acting like this? It can`t be the Slayer, she was up last night! But, he knew that when he had hesitated, and the Man Hunter started attacking him, she had fully become the Man Slayer even he feared. Kenshin got controle of him, just for a second, just to say the words he thought could help. "I like to practice the sword arts, but I have never enjoyed killing people." Kenshin then left the rest to the Battouisai, hoping that somehow, someway, his words would help Starlight regain controle of her body. But, unknown to Kenshin and the rest of the world around him, Starlight`s soul was slowly dieing off, even though it was fighting to come back into this world. The Battouisai growled, only he knew what was happening to the rurouni inside the woman he was fighting. He had to save her in some way, she still had a family to go back to, a mother and father, and a little sister; even if she wanted to denie it, she couldn`t. She had a place, and the Battouisai would make sure she could go back to them someday. Though the only way to save her was to defeat the Man Slayer, something he feared he couldn`t do, but he had to try.
-----------------
As I sat waiting for Starlight to walk down the long twisted halls of her mind back to our meeting room, I wondered why she had not followed my warrnings not to talk to the group. I pulled myself from my thoughts as Starlight slid the door open. The room was pitch dark, and it wouldn`t get any lighter till she sat down. The rurouni came inside, unerringly finding her way to the middle of the room. She sat down on the floor, placing her sword in front of her and waiting. I struck a light, slowly brightening up the room. The rurouni was sitting on the other side of a small table. A pot of tea and a small bottle of sake sat there, along with our two cups. I calmly sat on the other side of the table.
We were a study in contrasts, if anyone lived so long as to study us. I wore a simple, yet well-made uniform in shades of purple and blue, like I always did. My long black hair was pulled up in a high ponytail and I was sure my eyes seemed to flicker from a light green to a deep gold. Two swords- my katana and my wakizashi- lay in front of me. Though I was small and seemingly slight of form, a palpable aura of danger surrounded me, leaving no room for doubt that I was a deadly and formidable swordsman.
On the other hand, the rurouni looked as if she'd seen better days. Her gi and hakama were patched and worn. Her pure black hair was caught by a strip of cloth at her nape of her neck and her eyes were an unusualy dark shade of green. The sword that lay in front of her was her own sakabatou- its sharp and blunt edges reversed, a sword unsuitable for killing. She looked very young, her delicate little face always wearing a sweet, gentle expression, giving her an innocent and harmless air, except for the shadows in her eyes and the long scar on her cheek.
As different as we seemed at first glance, the rurouni and I shared one thing in common- our faces were exactly the same. But then, that wasn't surprising, since the rurouni and I were essentially the same person. Only, we were just different sides of the same coin. The rurouni spoke first. "Sarkia, why have you called me?"
"We need to talk."
"I thought we had more or less settled things already." The rurouni bent over a little to pour herself some tea.
I laughed softly. "It's not that. Though I did have a heck of a time getting you to accept me." I was a curser, though I never cursed when around her. I`d hardly ever cursed since she`d accepted me, cursing was my way of letting off steam, though since Starlight`d had eccepted me, I`d been blowing steam off with the training gear she`d gotten me.
I watched as the rurouni flushed slightly. "It's not easy for anyone to come to terms with their dark side."
I shook my head, leaning over to brush her bangs back behind a ear as I did. "I'm not really your 'evil twin', Kallan." I paused, leaning back to where I had been before, and poured myself some sake. Sometimes I wished we`d never come to terms, it didn`t seem right for her to not know everything about me. "I am the part of you that is capable of cold, ruthless action. I hold all your shadows, all your dark emotions. And I am also the one who ensures we survive. You- and all those that we love."
"Sanosuke."
I smiled faintly. "He's wonderful." To bad he has yet to remember us.
The rurouni's smile was an echo of the my own, I hated to put her though these kind of things. "We don't deserve him."
"True. And then, there's the rest of our little family too. I will not let anything happen to them. Especially now." I told her, remembering about our clan and the orphans who`d became our family, and even the Battousai, who didn`t know I was here yet. I sipped my sake and made that face again, telling Starlight I didn`t like the taste. "Feh. It still tastes like blood."
Starlight shook her head this time. "It's the guilt, Sarkia. That's why we stay away from sake, remember?"
Ya, I remembered, I still wanted the sake though. "Hn. Guilt's a poisonous emotion, Kallan. We'd better work this out sooner or later, if only for the sake of our sanity."
"Careful," said Starlight, a mischievous glint lighting up her eyes. "Do you want to start sounding like Kinfo?"
"Che! Kallan-" I choked for a moment, then, I struck back, knowing that devilment was shining clear in my eyes as well. "Well, we share more in common with her than you think."
Starlight shuddered. "No thanks! Let's not even go there." Kinfo was one who always had her eyes on Sanosuke, even though I`m sure he`s forgotten of the time he met Starlight and Kinfo by now. After all, he didn`t seem to reconize Starlight at that lunch place of his. (AN: Kinfo is actuly after the guy I like and I hate her for it, so I`ve put her in here as a bad guy and Starlight`s rivel. She also mastered the Kaljustis stile not a week later then I, and she moved up in rank when she started her magic training so she now goes by Kalimo. Imo is short for Imotikoins, which is her rank. When she masters all her magics, she`ll be called Kalikonivon, with her rank being Nivonesti. You get Iko added after the Kal once you finish the thirty magic classes. I`m staying as a warrior, though sooner or later, I`ll become a Emotional Warrior, which is a Warrior who`ll even kill someone they care about if they are a threat to the life of the warrior. In which, I`ll go by Kalsalan)
I sipped again at my sake. "Blood or not, I still need a drink. All Cally's fault- of course, the one thing we must've picked up from her. You'll be wanting one too, after I tell you what's going on." I set my black cup down, careful not to make it shatter, something I would have done if I`d of sat it down like I normaly do. "Something is wrong, Kallan. I don't know what it is and I don't like that. But it bodes danger for us and for our family." (AN: Cally is the leader of a clan called Sanlai, she`s also a major prep. So, in this story, she`s one of Starlight`s old, yet dead, enemys; got killed when a bliding crumbled ^.^ and no, in reality, she`s not dead)
In the waking world, the rurouni would not consciously remember all her dreams. But now, here in this place, she did. "The blood dreams..."
"Hai." I poured myself another cup of sake. "The dreams where we stalked the English settlements as the Hunter, when we killed all those people..."
"...and enjoyed it," concluded Starlight sickly. "Delighting in it, especially when the blood ran on the ground. But we never-"
"No," I told her harshly. "I enjoy the battle, and the blood, but only at times, thats why I`m the Man Hunter, Starlight, you know this. As I've said, I hold all the dark emotions you feel, and the taste for fresh blood on the full moons; dark or light. Its a habbit I gained when I was yet a young child. But the bloodlust in the dreams- berserker furies, this is not me. Not us. Never us. You don't remember the dreams when you wake- I've tried to protect you from them. But now, you must remember."
"But why are we having these dreams? If it's from guilt, I can understand. But this?" Starlight was baffled, I couldn`t tell if it was from her knowing I ran about as a blood raving killer on the full moons, or if it was from the dreams we`ve been having about us having a taste for blood every night.
"The last time we were haunted by dreams of the past, Kinfo came to challenge us. Then, we had to leave for Sanlai to battle Cally."
"These dreams are a warning then."
"Not quite." I paused, I knew Starlight would think I was trying to grope words, and I hated how obviously it was every time we meet. "The dreams aren't just warnings. They're something else." I knew my golden eyes looked troubled, and I was troubled. I hated that too. "Something is making us dream these dreams, Kallan. I can sense it. You know we have certain talents- our warrior's sixth sense is one of them. It warns us when danger is coming. And it IS coming. Watch out for it, Kallan. I am afraid it will bring harm to the ones we care about."
"I will, Sarkia, trust me, I`ll be on guard." She sat her white cup down and used her sword to stand. She then turned and started walking to the door.
"Kallan, why did you talk to that group even when I told you not to?" I asked her when she was nearly to the door.
She stoped only after she`d opened the door. "I was talking to the Hitokiri Battousai and his family." After speaking over her shoulder at me, she left me to my thoughts, sliding the door closed.
So the Battousai had a family now, I was glad. He and his own rurouni had always wanted one. And Starlight had talked to his family as well, that means the rurouni known as Kenshin had found a place to call home. I wished Starlight and I had a place to do such, but when our clan was destroyed, I was given a job to do, become the Man Hunter in Starlight`s place, and yet, last night, I was there. I knew that last night wasn`t a full moon, but I had drawn my blade and killed a whole hord of samurai. Sometime in the night, I must of bit my lower lip, because me and Starlight were bleading from a small hole this morning. As I reached for my blades, I reached for my wakizashi first. Touching the blade, last night`s memorys came flooding back into my mind. My wakizashi slicing the samurai, my warnings for them to stay away, the screams as my blade flashed in the moonlight, the blood on my blade, the bloody fangs I`d seen in the reflection of the blade itself, myself licking the blood off the blade and grining in reaction to its taste... I suddenly took over Starlight`s body, she wouldn`t need it while she was wandering her mind. I had expected to be on the tree branch she`d nodded off in, but when I opened her- no- my eyes, I found I was in the Kamiya Dojo. I pailed, noticing all of the people Starlight had talked to sitting around me. "She has golden eyes!" One of the people gasped.
"Megumi, calm down."
I gasped at the voice. It was the deep voice of the Battousai. I looked up to his golden eyes, reaching my hand up to trace his cross-shaped scar, recoling my hand when I felt it burn. Right, it was a cross, and the Man Slayer I was becoming was a Vampire. A cross` magic keeps Vampires in line, I remembered Starlight saying. I reached up again, this time keeping my hand half a inch from his scar. I was sure he would have leaned into it, but he just looked at me with cold anger. I shivered at the thought, he was mad at me for killing all those men. I started to move my hand back down to my side, only to have the Battousai grab it angerly. "Watashi desu kowai watashi-"
He cut me off, much like Kenshin`s friend had cut off my rurouni when she went to say she couldn`t teach that young boy Kaljustis. "Let me guess, you couldn`t stop it?" I cringed at both his snear and his grip, looking away, quiet ashamed I couldn`t stop the transformation from starting. His grip lossened and his voice became softer, though still deep, like I had remembered it from so many years ago. "I am quiet awar that you could not sense the change, but you could have fought it. Your new rurouni can`t handle things like this!" He was scolding me, even though when we both had body`s of our own thousand years ago, we had been together ourselves. Though now that we shared body`s with a rurouni, we weren`t alowed to even kiss!
"Gomen." I told him softly, closing my eyes. "I had thought I could come for help, to keep the Man Slayer from coming compleatly into this world." I sat up, pulling my wrist free of his. "Sayonara, Battousai-koi." I whispered softly, standing and walking away from him...and his new family with his rurouni. "May the Fates help you when it comes time for you to battle with the Man Slaying Senshi, both anata and your rurouni." I quickly walked away, my long strides getting me to the door quicker then what Starlight would have done. I felt a hand on my shoulder as I slide the door open, turning around, I found that accursed rooster-haired Fighter for Higher friend of Battousai`s rurouni who went by the name of Sanosuke.
"Why are you leaving?" He asked softly, he spoke like my rurouni and Kenshin, which startled me a bit.
I didn`t speak, the Man Slayer fighting to come out, and me fighting to keep her in. Something snaped, and the Man Slayer came out in the open, pushing me into the back seat, so to speak. I could only watch as the Slayer smiled evily, barring her fangs. Suddenly, I got controle, though only for a moment, just after the Slayer had drew her blade and droped down into the Kaljustis stance. "Run, Sanosuke!" But just as soon as I said the last words, the Slayer got controle of me again and the last thing I heard before I blacked out was Sanosuke yelling for Kenshin and the last thing I saw was Sanosuke jumping back from my wakizashi, the sword I never used. I`d always used my katana when I Hunted, never my wakizashi, though the Slayer had always used my- no- her wakizashi, always.
*Starlight`s POV, a hour later*
My eyes fluttered open and I went to strech, only to find I had been bounded by ropes. Infront of me, I could clearly see Sano, laying in bed, his chest wrapped in bandages as well, as his right arm. "About time you woke up." I heard Sano speak, he didn`t seem angered by what had happened, whatever had happened.
"Why am I tied?" I asked him, trying to remember how he knew english.
He turned his head to look at me, his face held a expression I couldn`t place. "Do you not remember?" I shook my head no, and heard him sigh. I wasn`t sure if the sigh was in anger, pain, or something else. "You attacked me, with that sword of yours." He glanced over to my sword, only it wasn`t my sword. It was Sarkia`s wakizashi, the sword she swore to never use, and it was just out of my reach. Had I not been bound by ropes a inch thick, I could have gotten to it with ease.
"Thats not my sword." I told him truthfully, which only caused him startlement, though he hid it far to well. I could only tell it was there by his eyes.
"How can it not be your sword? You used it!" I remembered that me and Kinfo and taught him a lot of english when we met and during the times we traveled together as children, back when Sanosuke was with that Captain Sagara man.
"Only Sarkia carries a wakizashi. My blade is a sakabatou." I told him what I knew, though I had never seen Sarkia use her wakizashi, I knew it was hers. Leaning back against the wall, I used it as support as I got up and stood, not able to use my arms to do the task at the moment. I took a hesitated step away from the wall and to Sano. His eyes widdened as he realised I was trying to walk over to him and who I was, and in suppise by my actions, he knocked over a small golden bell by his hand.
"What do you nee-" I looked to the woman, who had stoped dead in the middle of a word, staring at me with fear. "KENSHIN!!!!!" I droped to my knees when she yelled the name, wanting badly to cover my ears.
I saw a golden eyed warrior with red hair come running through the door, which was on the other side of Sano. The warrior`s eyes softened slightly when he saw me, though the cold edge never left them. "Whats the matter, Kaoru?" He asked the woman, who was heavy with child, maybe six months along already.
The woman just glared at him, I remembered her name to be Kaoru, Kamiya Kaoru. So they werent married yet? Maybe they just didnt want anyone to know. "She`s awake and was just walking to Sanosuke!" I was suprised by the woman`s hiss at first, then relised that it was just one of them 'Pregnant woman mood swings' that one of my trainers had had when she was going to have a child and someone got her upset or something.
Sano spoke up this time, and I was suprised when I found him defending me. "Its not like she can hurt me, tanuki girl. She just startled me by her movements." This time I fell back, my eyes even wider from startlement. When he had said the words, h-he had smiled at me! It was almost not visable, but I could see it.
"Are you ok, Miss?" I suddenly saw the man at the known as Kenshin looking down at me, his deep vilot eyes full on consern. Why? Just a moment ago, he had been the Battousai.
For a moment, I didn`t reply, my thoughts racing. "Hai. Thank you for caring, you are very kind, that you are." He pulled away from me, wondering why I had spoke in such a way I`m sure. I tried to sit back up, though could do no such thing. I felt his hand go under my back and froze when he tried to help me sit up.
*Leave it to Kenshin to take pitty on the poorer souls.* I growled at Sarkia, though Kenshin had both heard and felt it.
Kenshin leaned down close to me, whispering in my ear. "I know no to whom you growl, that I don`t. But do not anger me any more then you have, it is not wise to do that, it is not." Oh great fighter in heaven and earth, he didn`t have to talk to me like that! I wasn`t a child! Me and Kenshin were the same age, for Goddess Sake! Both of us was 26, though we looked younger then we were. About 12 years younger to be exact.
*He`s just blufing! Let me at him, Starlight! I`ll kill him for the Goddess above!!* There was a odd growl in Sarkia`s voice, and it was deeper then normal.
I growled, and rolled away from Kenshin, fliping up to my feet when I got a good distance. It was a whole lot easier to do when you weren`t close to the wall. I growled again as Kenshin`s mate walked closer to me with that wooden stick she carried like a sword. I nearly missed the sudden flash of gold in Kenshin`s eyes, and the Battousai`s quick flash of anger as he pressed me to the wall. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Sano fighting to stand up. This, I paid no heed to as I fought Sarkia from getting the upper hand and taking over my body. *Kallan....* I could hear her pleading voice, it was back normal and it startled me, causing me to let all my mental defenses down. In the Battousai`s eyes I could see my own flash gold as Sarkia suddenly got controle of my body.
*Normal POV*
Starlight`s eyes flash gold and stayed that way, a sly smile made its way to her face. "Battousai-koi." The golden eyes of the woman were soft, and her voice was both deep and soft.
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!!!" The red haired man roared, pressing the woman to the wall harder then before. The wall itself was starting to crack under the weight.
The woman sighed softly, as if content with her treatment. She started to sing, though what she was singing was a mistery to all others in the room- exept the Battousai.
"Don't look.
Don't speak.
Draw your sword and slash.
Do not hesitate.
Do not allow them to reach you.
Do not let them touch you else you'll break apart.
Justice is not murder.
You are fighting so others may live.
You are killing to create change."
The Battousai let go of the woman, taking a step back. He reconised the part of the song, it was one he and his mate had made when they had body`s of their own so many years ago. "Sar--kia?" He hesitated slightly when he asked, not wishing to believe it.
Sarkia looked up, her soft golden eyes replaced by hard icy ones. She straned slightly, but broke free of her bindings and dove for her sword. The Battoisai got to it first, kicking it out of her reach and over to Kaoru. Sarkia growled, her eyes flashing dangerous fire as she got up. "Battousai the Man Slayer, I think you`ve met your match." Sarkia sent a punch to the unsuspecting red head, knocking him back into a wall. (AN: I can knock my trainer into a wall if I want to! Yay! Goody for me! Ok, ok, I`ll shut up now) Sarkia ran for her blade, which had just been picked up by Kaoru. Quickly snaching the blade from the woman, Sarkia ran back at the Man Slayer, who was pulling himself out of the wall and back into the room.
Suprised by Sarkia`s actions, Battoisai drew his blade and did the only thing he could; block Sarkia`s attacks. The full moon`s not till tomorrow, so why is she acting like this? It can`t be the Slayer, she was up last night! But, he knew that when he had hesitated, and the Man Hunter started attacking him, she had fully become the Man Slayer even he feared. Kenshin got controle of him, just for a second, just to say the words he thought could help. "I like to practice the sword arts, but I have never enjoyed killing people." Kenshin then left the rest to the Battouisai, hoping that somehow, someway, his words would help Starlight regain controle of her body. But, unknown to Kenshin and the rest of the world around him, Starlight`s soul was slowly dieing off, even though it was fighting to come back into this world. The Battouisai growled, only he knew what was happening to the rurouni inside the woman he was fighting. He had to save her in some way, she still had a family to go back to, a mother and father, and a little sister; even if she wanted to denie it, she couldn`t. She had a place, and the Battouisai would make sure she could go back to them someday. Though the only way to save her was to defeat the Man Slayer, something he feared he couldn`t do, but he had to try.
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