Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters.
Blood splattered across the outside wall of one of the buildings in town. A man fell to the ground, motionless, blood pouring out of a large wound across his torso. Screams filled the air and people ran in every direction. A sword hung down by a motionless leg, fresh blood dripping from the end of it. The sword had longed for this for ten years, when it had been nothing but a reverse blade and its owner nothing but a wanderer. But now it received what it so desired, blood, death.
The manslayer holding the sword shifted his golden yellow eyes towards three other men, all standing still with various weapons in their hands. The closest man slid his feet into a stance and held his Japanese blade pointed outward.
"Batoussai," he muttered, grinning.
The red haired man kept his gaze fixed on this man.
"Come."
The man leapt forward, thrusting his sword towards Batoussai's chest. Batoussai leapt into the air and came down sword first. The man put his own sword up to block the blow. There was a clang and Batoussai spun around, swinging his sword. He stopped when he felt the blade make contact.
The man gasped in pain but couldn't scream with all the blood and bile filling the inside of his mouth and slowly spilling down his chin. Batoussai wrenched his sword out of the man's gut and watched with no expression as the corpse fell to the ground in front of his feet.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kaoru huffed as she ran as fast as she could toward town. Those men had faked her death and tied her up outside town. They had done this so they could face the true Batoussai. Did they have a suicide wish? Kaoru shook all the thoughts from her mind. She didn't want to think of those horrible, psychotic men. All she wanted to do was find Kenshin, before it was too late, and throw her arms around him in a gentle, warm embrace. All she wanted to do was whisper, "It's ok. Everything's going to be ok. I'm here. I'm with you," over and over again into his ear while warm tears sprang from his beautiful purple eyes and dripped heavenly onto her shoulder.
Kaoru realized she was the only one running into town. A large herd of people were violently pushing their way past her, in the opposite direction. She felt as if she was going to be carried away with the strong current. Tears formed in her eyes and rolled down her soft cheek. She had to get to Kenshin.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru screamed.
She forced herself through the crowd and saw Kenshin, his back to her, dueling it out with two other guys.
"Kenshin," Kaoru whispered, her tears dried from her face.
She looked around at the two dead men, soon to be three. She saw the blood covered street around them.
"Kenshin . . . did this?" Kaoru breathed.
She looked at the red haired man, the man she had grown to know and love. She finally admitted to herself her true feelings for Kenshin Himura, the wandering samurai. Her heart raced and her stomach felt full of butterflies. She needed to stop him. She needed to bring him back to the dojo. She didn't care that he had once slain thousands of men. She didn't care that the corpses lying motionless on the street with pools of blood around them were his doing. She didn't care about any of that. All she wanted was Kenshin in her arms.
Kaoru decided. She ran off towards Kenshin. She knew she could make him stop. All he had to do was hear her voice, feel her touch. He would take her in his arms and she would comfort him. She smiled at the thought of this.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Batoussai pulled his sword out of one of the men, his gaze fixing on the last man. The man, now obviously knowing his death to be near, dropped his weapon and turned to run away. Batoussai smirked.
"How trivial. I'll make this quick."
Batoussai brought his sword over his head and then swung it down quickly. The man let out a loud wail and fell to the ground, cut in half. Batoussai looked down at the corpse with his cold eyes. He gave a single grunt.
His eyes went wide. A hand was on his shoulder. How could this have happened without his knowledge?
"Ken . . .," the woman's voice trailed off.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kaoru looked into the cold, hard golden yellow eyes of the Batoussai. Her eyes were wide and her hand quivered on his shoulder.
" . . . shin," she concluded.
There was a ching and Kaoru slowly put her free hand to her stomach. She felt warm liquid seep over her fingers and run down the back of her hand. She opened her mouth to speak but blood streamed down the side of her mouth. Her eyes were filled with the now soft, surprised, frightened stare of the one she loved as her knees gave way under her.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Batoussai closed his eyes tightly then opened them. His eyes had gone back to their purple color. Kenshin was back. His sword slid from his hand, the bloody tip hitting the ground first.
"Miss, Miss Kaoru," he whispered in shock and fear.
He caught her as she collapsed and lowered her slowly to the ground.
"Miss Kaoru," he whispered again, tears forming in his eyes and rolling down the sides of his cheeks.
She smiled up at him. She smiled! How could she smile at him after what he had just done? She slid her hand slowly, gently onto his cheek and stared deeply, warmly, happily into his eyes. Her soft lips parted.
"There's the Kenshin . . . I have had the privilege to know."
Her eyes shimmered in the sun's light as they slowly began to close. Kenshin's tears came faster. Kaoru's hand fell from his face and hit the ground, motionless. Her head had fallen to one side.
"Miss Kaoru."
Tears fell down and landed into the puddle of blood that now had formed, splashing a little. They mixed together. Mixed into tears of blood.
Kenshin closed his eyes lightly. How could he have done this? How?
Wasn't this what he had been trying to protect her from? Death? Hadn't
this been what he had killed for? Because he thought she was dead?
Ironic how he had done the very thing he was avenging. Images of her
happy face appeared in his mind. She had always been there. How could
he go on without her? Without seeing her, without hearing her sweet,
calming voice. Could he even go on?
The tears stopped. His face was dry. Kenshin slid his arms under
Kaoru's back and under her knees. Her head fell back and her arms
hung, limply. His head was bowed and his eyes were closed as he walked
slowly through town with Kaoru's lifeless body held in his arms.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Many guards stood with guns near some buildings in town. They were
here to cut off the Batoussai's path. Several gasped as a shadowed
figure walked slowly forward. It was him. It was the Batoussai. And he
held a woman in his arms. But something was wrong. The woman wasn't
moving and there was a large bloodstain on her stomach. His head was
bowed. His pace unnaturally slow. He had killed her!
"Stop right there! Batoussai!"
He stopped but kept his head still bowed. The guards had their guns
pointed at him, ready to fire at any minute.
"Now drop the girl!"
He didn't move.
"Drop her!"
"I am afraid I can't do that, that I can't."
There was much sadness, regret in his voice. Was this still the
Batoussai? He began to walk forward again, his pace still slow.
"I said stop!"
He didn't stop this time.
"If you don't stop I am afraid we will have to fire!"
He still didn't stop. He didn't care. Anymore. Could this woman have
been the reason for him to live? The reason for him to care? The
reason for him to not kill anymore?
"Please stop! I don't want to have to kill you!"
His pace was still kept. His head still bowed. The woman still hanging
limply, motionlessly in his arms. The setting sun cast shadows across
his legs and sent a rather peaceful light across the place.
BANG!
Blood splattered across the outside wall of one of the buildings in town. A man fell to the ground, motionless, blood pouring out of a large wound across his torso. Screams filled the air and people ran in every direction. A sword hung down by a motionless leg, fresh blood dripping from the end of it. The sword had longed for this for ten years, when it had been nothing but a reverse blade and its owner nothing but a wanderer. But now it received what it so desired, blood, death.
The manslayer holding the sword shifted his golden yellow eyes towards three other men, all standing still with various weapons in their hands. The closest man slid his feet into a stance and held his Japanese blade pointed outward.
"Batoussai," he muttered, grinning.
The red haired man kept his gaze fixed on this man.
"Come."
The man leapt forward, thrusting his sword towards Batoussai's chest. Batoussai leapt into the air and came down sword first. The man put his own sword up to block the blow. There was a clang and Batoussai spun around, swinging his sword. He stopped when he felt the blade make contact.
The man gasped in pain but couldn't scream with all the blood and bile filling the inside of his mouth and slowly spilling down his chin. Batoussai wrenched his sword out of the man's gut and watched with no expression as the corpse fell to the ground in front of his feet.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kaoru huffed as she ran as fast as she could toward town. Those men had faked her death and tied her up outside town. They had done this so they could face the true Batoussai. Did they have a suicide wish? Kaoru shook all the thoughts from her mind. She didn't want to think of those horrible, psychotic men. All she wanted to do was find Kenshin, before it was too late, and throw her arms around him in a gentle, warm embrace. All she wanted to do was whisper, "It's ok. Everything's going to be ok. I'm here. I'm with you," over and over again into his ear while warm tears sprang from his beautiful purple eyes and dripped heavenly onto her shoulder.
Kaoru realized she was the only one running into town. A large herd of people were violently pushing their way past her, in the opposite direction. She felt as if she was going to be carried away with the strong current. Tears formed in her eyes and rolled down her soft cheek. She had to get to Kenshin.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru screamed.
She forced herself through the crowd and saw Kenshin, his back to her, dueling it out with two other guys.
"Kenshin," Kaoru whispered, her tears dried from her face.
She looked around at the two dead men, soon to be three. She saw the blood covered street around them.
"Kenshin . . . did this?" Kaoru breathed.
She looked at the red haired man, the man she had grown to know and love. She finally admitted to herself her true feelings for Kenshin Himura, the wandering samurai. Her heart raced and her stomach felt full of butterflies. She needed to stop him. She needed to bring him back to the dojo. She didn't care that he had once slain thousands of men. She didn't care that the corpses lying motionless on the street with pools of blood around them were his doing. She didn't care about any of that. All she wanted was Kenshin in her arms.
Kaoru decided. She ran off towards Kenshin. She knew she could make him stop. All he had to do was hear her voice, feel her touch. He would take her in his arms and she would comfort him. She smiled at the thought of this.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Batoussai pulled his sword out of one of the men, his gaze fixing on the last man. The man, now obviously knowing his death to be near, dropped his weapon and turned to run away. Batoussai smirked.
"How trivial. I'll make this quick."
Batoussai brought his sword over his head and then swung it down quickly. The man let out a loud wail and fell to the ground, cut in half. Batoussai looked down at the corpse with his cold eyes. He gave a single grunt.
His eyes went wide. A hand was on his shoulder. How could this have happened without his knowledge?
"Ken . . .," the woman's voice trailed off.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kaoru looked into the cold, hard golden yellow eyes of the Batoussai. Her eyes were wide and her hand quivered on his shoulder.
" . . . shin," she concluded.
There was a ching and Kaoru slowly put her free hand to her stomach. She felt warm liquid seep over her fingers and run down the back of her hand. She opened her mouth to speak but blood streamed down the side of her mouth. Her eyes were filled with the now soft, surprised, frightened stare of the one she loved as her knees gave way under her.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Batoussai closed his eyes tightly then opened them. His eyes had gone back to their purple color. Kenshin was back. His sword slid from his hand, the bloody tip hitting the ground first.
"Miss, Miss Kaoru," he whispered in shock and fear.
He caught her as she collapsed and lowered her slowly to the ground.
"Miss Kaoru," he whispered again, tears forming in his eyes and rolling down the sides of his cheeks.
She smiled up at him. She smiled! How could she smile at him after what he had just done? She slid her hand slowly, gently onto his cheek and stared deeply, warmly, happily into his eyes. Her soft lips parted.
"There's the Kenshin . . . I have had the privilege to know."
Her eyes shimmered in the sun's light as they slowly began to close. Kenshin's tears came faster. Kaoru's hand fell from his face and hit the ground, motionless. Her head had fallen to one side.
"Miss Kaoru."
Tears fell down and landed into the puddle of blood that now had formed, splashing a little. They mixed together. Mixed into tears of blood.
Kenshin closed his eyes lightly. How could he have done this? How?
Wasn't this what he had been trying to protect her from? Death? Hadn't
this been what he had killed for? Because he thought she was dead?
Ironic how he had done the very thing he was avenging. Images of her
happy face appeared in his mind. She had always been there. How could
he go on without her? Without seeing her, without hearing her sweet,
calming voice. Could he even go on?
The tears stopped. His face was dry. Kenshin slid his arms under
Kaoru's back and under her knees. Her head fell back and her arms
hung, limply. His head was bowed and his eyes were closed as he walked
slowly through town with Kaoru's lifeless body held in his arms.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Many guards stood with guns near some buildings in town. They were
here to cut off the Batoussai's path. Several gasped as a shadowed
figure walked slowly forward. It was him. It was the Batoussai. And he
held a woman in his arms. But something was wrong. The woman wasn't
moving and there was a large bloodstain on her stomach. His head was
bowed. His pace unnaturally slow. He had killed her!
"Stop right there! Batoussai!"
He stopped but kept his head still bowed. The guards had their guns
pointed at him, ready to fire at any minute.
"Now drop the girl!"
He didn't move.
"Drop her!"
"I am afraid I can't do that, that I can't."
There was much sadness, regret in his voice. Was this still the
Batoussai? He began to walk forward again, his pace still slow.
"I said stop!"
He didn't stop this time.
"If you don't stop I am afraid we will have to fire!"
He still didn't stop. He didn't care. Anymore. Could this woman have
been the reason for him to live? The reason for him to care? The
reason for him to not kill anymore?
"Please stop! I don't want to have to kill you!"
His pace was still kept. His head still bowed. The woman still hanging
limply, motionlessly in his arms. The setting sun cast shadows across
his legs and sent a rather peaceful light across the place.
BANG!