(Battousai/Karou) We all know that Kenshin was the Hitokiri Battousai and
at the same time, Karou was only a small child. But what if Little Karou
met the Battousai one night, while her Father was out to War? Then two
years later, at the end of the Bakumatsu, the Battousai runs into Little
Karou again.With her father?!?!
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Hey! I have to thank all of you for reviewing! I'm so HAPPY! I'd like to thank.
So- On with the SHOW! Er.story.
Disclaimer: Kenshin belongs to the obviously genius Nobuhiro Watsuki. Not me.
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Chapter 2: Questions
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Battousai stepped over the engawa, into the thresh hold of the Dojo and found himself in a large training hall. The walls and floors were polished to a golden shine and shinai and bokkens hung from the walls. There were two other doors that clearly led into the living quarters of the Dojo. Battousai barely acknowledged the girl's presence as she quietly followed in and slid the wooden doors shut with a snap. He had never really been to a private Dojo before and had always tried to make a habit out of memorizing new things. Sure, he had been to the Practice Halls of the Ishin Shishi but never one that was independent and had a choice of which students to admit. Even he, as a student, was taught by his Master in the Mountains. But that was not the reason he had come inside. It was to question the girl.
"Girl? What's your name for starters? And could you take us to a more.comfortable place to talk?" He turned to the girl and found her staring at him in confusion. What had he said wrong? With a lifted eyebrow though, the girl immediately became self-aware and stopped staring. "My name's Kamiya Karou-" She seemed to drift off again and her eyes looked to be scanning the interior of the walls. "You may call me Kamiya Karou. Of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu."
This threw Battousai off balance. She spaced out because she was debating whether or not to tell him about her sword-style. Just by hearing a person's sword-style, it can give away quite a lot in a fight. Ignoring that fact that an innocent girl of six was learning kenjuutsu for a moment, he began to wonder just how much she knew. Did she know about telling a person by their swords-style or was she simply being cautious? And he had never heard of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu. Another thing to ask.
"Excuse me? Err.Battousai? You wanted someone comfortable to sit down. You have to come with me." The girl, Karou was bold enough to actually tug at his sleeve. It had been a while since anyone, albeit in battle, had dared touch him. But this was more than the first time for Karou. Karou tugged at his sleeves again and Battousai decided to allow her, not matter how uncomfortable he was with the situation, to pull him to where ever she was taking him.
Karou gently held on to his sleeve and began dragging him through the Dojo; first through the nearest door, then down three halls turning right, then through two more doors, and down one last hall way before turning into slightly smaller room than the spacious training hall. Somewhere in the midst of the travels, the rooms became dark for the lack of windows and even though Battousai could see just fine, being used to working in the dark and all, Karou had to get an oil lantern to lead the way. The room, it seemed, was filled with old junk and was basically used as a store room though with a bit of work it could be another training hall. Karou let go of his sleeve and lit another oil lamp, which appeared to have been pre- residing in the doorway corner.
"This is the central most room of the Dojo." Karou announced, her voice echoing off the walls and ceiling. "My Dad doesn't know it but I come here all the time. He doesn't like to come here because it was Mom's favorite room. She died when I was born." Her last sentence was so sad the Battousai did something he hadn't done in a long time. He blinked and put on a reverent look. But Karou didn't notice much because she had already dived head first into a mountain of stacked furniture and after much shuffling and kicking of dust, she crawled out dragging what seemed like an ancient moth bitten futon, a pillow, and two red velvety cushions. Everything, including the girl, who now covered in a thick layer of dust.
"Acho!" Karou, without warning, began shaking and beating out the old futon, shaking up even more dust then before. When the cloud settled, Battousai was amazed to see a clean circle on the Dojo floor, utterly devoid of dust. In the middle of the circle stood a clean futon, a lantern, and a very proud Miss Kamiya. A big grin was on her face as she folded her legs underneath her and sat down on one of the cushions, much too gracefully for a six year old, and gestured for him to do as well.
"So, what do you want to know?" Karou watched the Battousai carefully as he also sat down and became comfortable. If he asked anything too personal, something she didn't want to answer, then she was sunk. He could easily get it out of her if he wanted. Hopefully, all he wanted to know was where he was and why she helped him. Though she herself wasn't very sure at the moment. The lantern light flickered and Karou noticed he was watching her with the same scrutiny. Copying his motion almost exactly, she raised a delicate eyebrow and that snapped Battousai out of what ever he was thinking. "Tell me, when a person learns to fight, they learn to hurt people, do they not? No matter if they want to protect or attack by fighting. Fighting is fighting, and no one can learn fighting without darkening their ki permanently, even if it's lightly. You're obviously a skilled warrior with a strong ki but what I don't understand is why your ki is absolutely pure. Nothing has sullied it. Please tell me, why?" Karou sat, shocked. It wasn't very personal but it wasn't the type of question you would give a six year old child, let alone a girl. It was flattering that The Hitokiri Battousai said she had a strong ki and was a skilled warrior, she had never been more complimented in her life, but was he forgetting she was still a very young girl? That was an extremely heavy question, one even her Father might not be able to answer. She wasn't some adult to debate the meanings of life with. 'I'll try my best to answer his question with all the wisdom my father and all my friends have taught me. At least he was polite."
"Well, let's see then.ano.oh yeah!" Karou pounded he fist into the flat of her hand in triumph. "I remember now. You're right; you can't learn fighting without darkening your ki. Learning to fight is a bad deed because your learning how to hurt people, no matter you intentions, and it's permanent because once you've learned, it's impossible to forget. I've been training in swordsmanship ever since I could remember and I guess that I've been learning to hurt people. But I think that it's all in the principle of what I've learned. Ano.It's hard to explain here. It would be easier if we were in the Practice Hall where all the virtues of the Kasshin Ryuu are listed. Why not ask me that when we get back to the Practice Hall and I will finish explaining.Okay?"
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Suddenly distant sounds of footsteps were heard down the hall. Battousai narrowed his eyes and glanced at Karou. She seemed just as startled and distressed as he was. Clearly, she was expecting this, just as much as he was. "Karou-chan! Get behind me! Now." Then, he stood up, unsheathing his sword, and waited. Karou didn't seem that afraid but she was clearly confused and shaken up. "Care to explain?"
Karou just stared in the only possible doorway the person could come through and said, "I. I don't know. How could anyone get past the gate without us knowing? The only person who has the key would be Daddy or-"
"Karou-chan! Where are you? I brought over some dinner for you. Heaven knows my back can't take hide-and-seek. Please come out." Battousai shot Karou a menacing look but Karou was just relieved. It wasn't an intruder. "It's okay. I completely forgot Dr. Genzai was supposed to be coming over to bring me my dinner and check on me. Sorry." Battousai just glare a while longer before sheathing his sword roughly. "Don't be apologizing to me, girl! Apologize to him! If he had come in here and I didn't know who he was or if he was friend of foe then I would have-"
"Ah!" Karou let out a yelp and looked very mad. At herself. "I'm so stupid." She smacked her forehead for emphasis. "That reminded me." She held out her right hand and stared at it disgustedly. Battousai's blood was still on it. ".that you are still hurt. Tell you what. You stay here and I'll get Dr. Genzai away as quickly as possible. Then I'll bring you some food and bandages. Why didn't you remind me you were hurt?" Battousai just shrugged and sat back down. After a few seconds Karou decided that he was going to answer anymore and jogged out of the room to find Dr. Genzai. Battousai just stared at nothing. 'Is it possible? For a person to learn swordsmanship and remain unscathed?'
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So what did ya think of that! I took me a while to update but I think this chapter is good. If you have any suggestions, make sure to tell me please. And review too!
Ja ne,
Wolfgirl13
(PS: In the first part, when Karou is remembering, Battousai is 18 and Karou is seven. The first time they meet, Battousai was 16 and Karou is five.)
Hey! I have to thank all of you for reviewing! I'm so HAPPY! I'd like to thank.
So- On with the SHOW! Er.story.
Disclaimer: Kenshin belongs to the obviously genius Nobuhiro Watsuki. Not me.
____________________________________________________________________________ ______
Chapter 2: Questions
.................................
...................................
Battousai stepped over the engawa, into the thresh hold of the Dojo and found himself in a large training hall. The walls and floors were polished to a golden shine and shinai and bokkens hung from the walls. There were two other doors that clearly led into the living quarters of the Dojo. Battousai barely acknowledged the girl's presence as she quietly followed in and slid the wooden doors shut with a snap. He had never really been to a private Dojo before and had always tried to make a habit out of memorizing new things. Sure, he had been to the Practice Halls of the Ishin Shishi but never one that was independent and had a choice of which students to admit. Even he, as a student, was taught by his Master in the Mountains. But that was not the reason he had come inside. It was to question the girl.
"Girl? What's your name for starters? And could you take us to a more.comfortable place to talk?" He turned to the girl and found her staring at him in confusion. What had he said wrong? With a lifted eyebrow though, the girl immediately became self-aware and stopped staring. "My name's Kamiya Karou-" She seemed to drift off again and her eyes looked to be scanning the interior of the walls. "You may call me Kamiya Karou. Of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu."
This threw Battousai off balance. She spaced out because she was debating whether or not to tell him about her sword-style. Just by hearing a person's sword-style, it can give away quite a lot in a fight. Ignoring that fact that an innocent girl of six was learning kenjuutsu for a moment, he began to wonder just how much she knew. Did she know about telling a person by their swords-style or was she simply being cautious? And he had never heard of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu. Another thing to ask.
"Excuse me? Err.Battousai? You wanted someone comfortable to sit down. You have to come with me." The girl, Karou was bold enough to actually tug at his sleeve. It had been a while since anyone, albeit in battle, had dared touch him. But this was more than the first time for Karou. Karou tugged at his sleeves again and Battousai decided to allow her, not matter how uncomfortable he was with the situation, to pull him to where ever she was taking him.
Karou gently held on to his sleeve and began dragging him through the Dojo; first through the nearest door, then down three halls turning right, then through two more doors, and down one last hall way before turning into slightly smaller room than the spacious training hall. Somewhere in the midst of the travels, the rooms became dark for the lack of windows and even though Battousai could see just fine, being used to working in the dark and all, Karou had to get an oil lantern to lead the way. The room, it seemed, was filled with old junk and was basically used as a store room though with a bit of work it could be another training hall. Karou let go of his sleeve and lit another oil lamp, which appeared to have been pre- residing in the doorway corner.
"This is the central most room of the Dojo." Karou announced, her voice echoing off the walls and ceiling. "My Dad doesn't know it but I come here all the time. He doesn't like to come here because it was Mom's favorite room. She died when I was born." Her last sentence was so sad the Battousai did something he hadn't done in a long time. He blinked and put on a reverent look. But Karou didn't notice much because she had already dived head first into a mountain of stacked furniture and after much shuffling and kicking of dust, she crawled out dragging what seemed like an ancient moth bitten futon, a pillow, and two red velvety cushions. Everything, including the girl, who now covered in a thick layer of dust.
"Acho!" Karou, without warning, began shaking and beating out the old futon, shaking up even more dust then before. When the cloud settled, Battousai was amazed to see a clean circle on the Dojo floor, utterly devoid of dust. In the middle of the circle stood a clean futon, a lantern, and a very proud Miss Kamiya. A big grin was on her face as she folded her legs underneath her and sat down on one of the cushions, much too gracefully for a six year old, and gestured for him to do as well.
"So, what do you want to know?" Karou watched the Battousai carefully as he also sat down and became comfortable. If he asked anything too personal, something she didn't want to answer, then she was sunk. He could easily get it out of her if he wanted. Hopefully, all he wanted to know was where he was and why she helped him. Though she herself wasn't very sure at the moment. The lantern light flickered and Karou noticed he was watching her with the same scrutiny. Copying his motion almost exactly, she raised a delicate eyebrow and that snapped Battousai out of what ever he was thinking. "Tell me, when a person learns to fight, they learn to hurt people, do they not? No matter if they want to protect or attack by fighting. Fighting is fighting, and no one can learn fighting without darkening their ki permanently, even if it's lightly. You're obviously a skilled warrior with a strong ki but what I don't understand is why your ki is absolutely pure. Nothing has sullied it. Please tell me, why?" Karou sat, shocked. It wasn't very personal but it wasn't the type of question you would give a six year old child, let alone a girl. It was flattering that The Hitokiri Battousai said she had a strong ki and was a skilled warrior, she had never been more complimented in her life, but was he forgetting she was still a very young girl? That was an extremely heavy question, one even her Father might not be able to answer. She wasn't some adult to debate the meanings of life with. 'I'll try my best to answer his question with all the wisdom my father and all my friends have taught me. At least he was polite."
"Well, let's see then.ano.oh yeah!" Karou pounded he fist into the flat of her hand in triumph. "I remember now. You're right; you can't learn fighting without darkening your ki. Learning to fight is a bad deed because your learning how to hurt people, no matter you intentions, and it's permanent because once you've learned, it's impossible to forget. I've been training in swordsmanship ever since I could remember and I guess that I've been learning to hurt people. But I think that it's all in the principle of what I've learned. Ano.It's hard to explain here. It would be easier if we were in the Practice Hall where all the virtues of the Kasshin Ryuu are listed. Why not ask me that when we get back to the Practice Hall and I will finish explaining.Okay?"
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Suddenly distant sounds of footsteps were heard down the hall. Battousai narrowed his eyes and glanced at Karou. She seemed just as startled and distressed as he was. Clearly, she was expecting this, just as much as he was. "Karou-chan! Get behind me! Now." Then, he stood up, unsheathing his sword, and waited. Karou didn't seem that afraid but she was clearly confused and shaken up. "Care to explain?"
Karou just stared in the only possible doorway the person could come through and said, "I. I don't know. How could anyone get past the gate without us knowing? The only person who has the key would be Daddy or-"
"Karou-chan! Where are you? I brought over some dinner for you. Heaven knows my back can't take hide-and-seek. Please come out." Battousai shot Karou a menacing look but Karou was just relieved. It wasn't an intruder. "It's okay. I completely forgot Dr. Genzai was supposed to be coming over to bring me my dinner and check on me. Sorry." Battousai just glare a while longer before sheathing his sword roughly. "Don't be apologizing to me, girl! Apologize to him! If he had come in here and I didn't know who he was or if he was friend of foe then I would have-"
"Ah!" Karou let out a yelp and looked very mad. At herself. "I'm so stupid." She smacked her forehead for emphasis. "That reminded me." She held out her right hand and stared at it disgustedly. Battousai's blood was still on it. ".that you are still hurt. Tell you what. You stay here and I'll get Dr. Genzai away as quickly as possible. Then I'll bring you some food and bandages. Why didn't you remind me you were hurt?" Battousai just shrugged and sat back down. After a few seconds Karou decided that he was going to answer anymore and jogged out of the room to find Dr. Genzai. Battousai just stared at nothing. 'Is it possible? For a person to learn swordsmanship and remain unscathed?'
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So what did ya think of that! I took me a while to update but I think this chapter is good. If you have any suggestions, make sure to tell me please. And review too!
Ja ne,
Wolfgirl13
(PS: In the first part, when Karou is remembering, Battousai is 18 and Karou is seven. The first time they meet, Battousai was 16 and Karou is five.)