Author's Note: Gomen, gomen. I don't think I can finish this before
school starts so I guess I lied unintentionally, especially since it starts
September 3, which happens to be today, actually, for me. Ehehehe.
Disclaimer: Why don't I own Rurouni Kenshin yet? Why? *breaks down and sobs hysterically*
The Love of Life
Chapter 8: Repetition of History
By CrismHeart
September 3, 2003
It was Monday and unlike most days, there was a source for the commotion in the school halls. The history teacher had been in a car accident during the weekend and a new replacement was found to teach for the remainder of the year. Soon after, Kenshin discovered that history was no longer his favorite subject, and for good reason.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Saitou Hajime was one of the most trusted military advisors to the Japanese president.
Although he and Kenshin both worked for the government, they never saw eye to eye on certain issues, for example, their ideals- the very principles they stood for. In all honesty, they were more like adversaries. They respected each other for their skill in swordsmanship and had fought many times before. However, the duels always ended in a draw because they were equally talented with the sword. Perhaps this time Saitou would be luckier and there would only be one final battle for the title of the strongest.
Now that that period of instability had faded, Saitou had received permission to take leave of his duties. And what else would he rather do than make Kenshin's life living hell.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
While the boys were not too anxious, the girls appeared to be eager to see who would walk in through the door.
"I hope he's a hottie!"
"Really? I think I heard that he's married."
As the chattering subsided, the class watched in silent awe as their new teacher entered the room. He was not an especially interesting looking man. Although he stood tall at six feet, an unusual characteristic for a Japanese man, his height was not his most intriguing feature. It was his eyes that seemed to hypnotize his audience. They were thin slits of amber, resembling those of a cat.
"He's married?! He's kind of creepy looking, don't you think?"
"I know, it just makes him look all the more dangerous."
Sano's comment on new teacher's eyes did not go unnoticed by the Saitou Hajime, "Hey mister, you've got really evil eyes."
"They're just the ones that I was born with." He replied with an unnerving smile.
Saitou turned to face none other than Himura Kenshin sitting to the right of Sano. "Battousai. I have come for our final battle. This time you will not be so lucky as for me to let you live. You have one week to prepare."
Kenshin's normally gentle gaze met his and sparks of hostility seemingly flew between them. Kenshin's violet eyes were flecked with gold. The rest of the class did not seem to be aware of the strong tension between the two, except Sano since he was in the closest proximity to him. Fortunately for Kenshin, his best friend had not heard Saitou's words. He had been careful not to let anyone know about his past, but had not thought that it would follow. Kenshin knew that he had to keep his identity secret if he did not want his new life in Tokyo to come to an end, not now when it had only began.
"Just a little longer!" He pleaded.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The school week had passed by slowly. Kenshin was both relieved and distraught that it was finally Sunday. Saitou had coined his own version of the phrase, "If you can't beat them, join them!" Because this quote did not suit him, he decided to revise it. Actually, he had thought that only an ahou would make something that ridiculous up, so his motto in the classroom regarding Kenshin was: "Well if you can't beat them, at least make them feel that their life isn't worth living!" And when he thought of this he would always shrug to himself and smile inwardly. Who says that teaching was not rewarding?
The reason as to why Kenshin was distressed, however, was that tomorrow he would have to face Saitou. He had vowed never to kill again and he was scared that he might revert to his old self and lose everything all over again. It was strange how natural it felt to be holding a sword. It made him think of the time he left the government and a man by the name of Jineh had sneered at him, "Once a battousai, always a battousai."
Kenshin had been practicing his Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu in an open field. Not only for his duel, mostly in honor and remembrance of Hiko who had given him so much. Hiko had constantly made them train outdoors. He was so caught up in attacking an imagining Saitou who dared to try to ruin him that he did not notice someone watching him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaoru had been wandering all over the city trying to find a friend to talk to. She was not sure why her first thought had been Kenshin. When she had gotten to his apartment and knocked, no one had answered the door, so she made up her mind to look for him. She was on the outskirts of the Tokyo where everything was more isolated, more serene, when someone happened to catch her eye. It was Kenshin, clad in a training gi and hakama swinging a sakabatou. What really amazed Kaoru was the precision he executed when he seemed to be reliving a battle. Kenshin was such a passive person; Kaoru had not even known that he did kenjutsu. Then she smacked herself on the face. "Of course he does, Kaoru! I can't believe you didn't notice it when you practically hauled him to the Akabeko that time. His hands had calluses that could only have come from swordfighting."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kenshin felt a familiar ki behind him and spun around abruptly. Without hesitation, he had pointed his sword at his opponent.
"K-Kaoru-dono, wh-what are you doing here?"
"Gomen ne, Kenshin. I just saw you practicing and you are really incredible! You're much better than I am and I have been studying my whole life! What style do you use?"
Kenshin drew his sword back in its sheath, looking slightly aghast that he had been pointing it at Kaoru as if she were his enemy. Then seeing that she had dismissed the fact, he responded, "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu."
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu," Kaoru repeated, "Isn't that the style the Hitokiri Battousai was famous for?"
Kenshin looked downward allowing his crimson bangs to cover his eyes. He thought back to the time Kaoru said for him to talk to her. Perhaps, the day had now come. As much as he could not bear Kaoru hating him, he knew that he must face the inevitable.
________________________________________________________________________
Author's Note: To flyinangel777, marilyn, Amish/Ames.lol, Califpinay3001, Pauline, Brittanie Love, Kitsune KeNsHin, and Yurikkuna: arigato minna-san for reviewing. Please forgive me for the delay, but keep reviewing! With enough I always feel guilty afterwards so I start working on my story again.
flyinangel777: It was my pleasure! Besides, I get easily distracted so it gave me something to do.
marilyn: Thank you so much! I hope this chapter was up to standards!
Amish/Ames.lol: Yay! *celebrates* You reviewed!
Pauline: Pauline!!!! You just had to insult me, huh? (rhetorical question again, it always is.) Just what I needed, a review telling me that I have too much free time. If I could put a smiley face with its tongue sticking out here, it would be here. And yes, I already told you that you can draw pictures.
Brittanie Love: I haven't heard from you in awhile, it was starting to worry me, but now that you've reviewed, you have made me very happy!
Kitsune KeNsHin: I understand about having school and all. In fact I have the same problem, so I hope no one gets mad at me if I don't have as much time to write.
Yurikkuna: You can always my day better! Thanks again for the compliments!
Disclaimer: Why don't I own Rurouni Kenshin yet? Why? *breaks down and sobs hysterically*
The Love of Life
Chapter 8: Repetition of History
By CrismHeart
September 3, 2003
It was Monday and unlike most days, there was a source for the commotion in the school halls. The history teacher had been in a car accident during the weekend and a new replacement was found to teach for the remainder of the year. Soon after, Kenshin discovered that history was no longer his favorite subject, and for good reason.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Saitou Hajime was one of the most trusted military advisors to the Japanese president.
Although he and Kenshin both worked for the government, they never saw eye to eye on certain issues, for example, their ideals- the very principles they stood for. In all honesty, they were more like adversaries. They respected each other for their skill in swordsmanship and had fought many times before. However, the duels always ended in a draw because they were equally talented with the sword. Perhaps this time Saitou would be luckier and there would only be one final battle for the title of the strongest.
Now that that period of instability had faded, Saitou had received permission to take leave of his duties. And what else would he rather do than make Kenshin's life living hell.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
While the boys were not too anxious, the girls appeared to be eager to see who would walk in through the door.
"I hope he's a hottie!"
"Really? I think I heard that he's married."
As the chattering subsided, the class watched in silent awe as their new teacher entered the room. He was not an especially interesting looking man. Although he stood tall at six feet, an unusual characteristic for a Japanese man, his height was not his most intriguing feature. It was his eyes that seemed to hypnotize his audience. They were thin slits of amber, resembling those of a cat.
"He's married?! He's kind of creepy looking, don't you think?"
"I know, it just makes him look all the more dangerous."
Sano's comment on new teacher's eyes did not go unnoticed by the Saitou Hajime, "Hey mister, you've got really evil eyes."
"They're just the ones that I was born with." He replied with an unnerving smile.
Saitou turned to face none other than Himura Kenshin sitting to the right of Sano. "Battousai. I have come for our final battle. This time you will not be so lucky as for me to let you live. You have one week to prepare."
Kenshin's normally gentle gaze met his and sparks of hostility seemingly flew between them. Kenshin's violet eyes were flecked with gold. The rest of the class did not seem to be aware of the strong tension between the two, except Sano since he was in the closest proximity to him. Fortunately for Kenshin, his best friend had not heard Saitou's words. He had been careful not to let anyone know about his past, but had not thought that it would follow. Kenshin knew that he had to keep his identity secret if he did not want his new life in Tokyo to come to an end, not now when it had only began.
"Just a little longer!" He pleaded.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The school week had passed by slowly. Kenshin was both relieved and distraught that it was finally Sunday. Saitou had coined his own version of the phrase, "If you can't beat them, join them!" Because this quote did not suit him, he decided to revise it. Actually, he had thought that only an ahou would make something that ridiculous up, so his motto in the classroom regarding Kenshin was: "Well if you can't beat them, at least make them feel that their life isn't worth living!" And when he thought of this he would always shrug to himself and smile inwardly. Who says that teaching was not rewarding?
The reason as to why Kenshin was distressed, however, was that tomorrow he would have to face Saitou. He had vowed never to kill again and he was scared that he might revert to his old self and lose everything all over again. It was strange how natural it felt to be holding a sword. It made him think of the time he left the government and a man by the name of Jineh had sneered at him, "Once a battousai, always a battousai."
Kenshin had been practicing his Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu in an open field. Not only for his duel, mostly in honor and remembrance of Hiko who had given him so much. Hiko had constantly made them train outdoors. He was so caught up in attacking an imagining Saitou who dared to try to ruin him that he did not notice someone watching him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaoru had been wandering all over the city trying to find a friend to talk to. She was not sure why her first thought had been Kenshin. When she had gotten to his apartment and knocked, no one had answered the door, so she made up her mind to look for him. She was on the outskirts of the Tokyo where everything was more isolated, more serene, when someone happened to catch her eye. It was Kenshin, clad in a training gi and hakama swinging a sakabatou. What really amazed Kaoru was the precision he executed when he seemed to be reliving a battle. Kenshin was such a passive person; Kaoru had not even known that he did kenjutsu. Then she smacked herself on the face. "Of course he does, Kaoru! I can't believe you didn't notice it when you practically hauled him to the Akabeko that time. His hands had calluses that could only have come from swordfighting."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kenshin felt a familiar ki behind him and spun around abruptly. Without hesitation, he had pointed his sword at his opponent.
"K-Kaoru-dono, wh-what are you doing here?"
"Gomen ne, Kenshin. I just saw you practicing and you are really incredible! You're much better than I am and I have been studying my whole life! What style do you use?"
Kenshin drew his sword back in its sheath, looking slightly aghast that he had been pointing it at Kaoru as if she were his enemy. Then seeing that she had dismissed the fact, he responded, "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu."
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu," Kaoru repeated, "Isn't that the style the Hitokiri Battousai was famous for?"
Kenshin looked downward allowing his crimson bangs to cover his eyes. He thought back to the time Kaoru said for him to talk to her. Perhaps, the day had now come. As much as he could not bear Kaoru hating him, he knew that he must face the inevitable.
________________________________________________________________________
Author's Note: To flyinangel777, marilyn, Amish/Ames.lol, Califpinay3001, Pauline, Brittanie Love, Kitsune KeNsHin, and Yurikkuna: arigato minna-san for reviewing. Please forgive me for the delay, but keep reviewing! With enough I always feel guilty afterwards so I start working on my story again.
flyinangel777: It was my pleasure! Besides, I get easily distracted so it gave me something to do.
marilyn: Thank you so much! I hope this chapter was up to standards!
Amish/Ames.lol: Yay! *celebrates* You reviewed!
Pauline: Pauline!!!! You just had to insult me, huh? (rhetorical question again, it always is.) Just what I needed, a review telling me that I have too much free time. If I could put a smiley face with its tongue sticking out here, it would be here. And yes, I already told you that you can draw pictures.
Brittanie Love: I haven't heard from you in awhile, it was starting to worry me, but now that you've reviewed, you have made me very happy!
Kitsune KeNsHin: I understand about having school and all. In fact I have the same problem, so I hope no one gets mad at me if I don't have as much time to write.
Yurikkuna: You can always my day better! Thanks again for the compliments!