CHAPTER 9: Another draw
Okita thrust his sword forward, executing his lightning-fast three-hit attack. Only one of the three hits connected with its target. Battousai ignored the warm blood dripping down his arm and unsheathed his sword with god-like speed. It was just short of slicing Okita in two, however it did cause an injury to both of Okita's legs.
"Your skills have gotten even better, Himura-san!" Okita smiled. He raised his sword. Battousai gave a shadow of a smile.
"Yours, too," was his reply. They both darted forward. Okita attacked with a normal Hiratsuki this time, but Battousai jumped up, attempting to use the Hiten- Mitserugi Style Ryu Tsui Sen. He smashed into the floor as Okita dodged, but Battousai wasn't finished quite yet. Quickly sheathing his sword, he attacked with Battou-jutsu. Okita pulled his sheath up just enough to block to strike, but Battousai turned the Battou-jutsu into Soryusen, using his sheath to attack Okita. It hit Okita in the side-area and Okita was thrown backward. Okita crouched on the floor, hunching over his sword that he had dropped after receiving the blow.
"Himura-san... you never cease to amaze me," Okita said, attempting to smile, but a wave of coughs took over. Small droplets of blood dripped from his mouth onto the gleaming blade of his sword.
"Okita!" Saito's voice was heard not far away. "Stay out of the fight! I'll finish the Battousai! Just STAND DOWN!"
"No, Saito-san!" Okita said. "I cannot flee before an enemy after we have begun our battle. You of all people should understand that!" He stumbled up, raised the sword, and ran forward where he and the Battousai clashed.
"Okita!" Saito yelled back, seeing his friend continue the battle. He watched as the two warriors jumped backward. Okita began to cough and crumpled to the floor. More red droplets from Okita's mouth fell onto the untainted blade. They rolled off onto the floor. Okita just continued to cough, more blood appearing on the blade.
"Stay OUT of this, Saito-san!" Okita snarled, glaring at his friend with crazed eyes. "I want to do this myself!" A coughing fit consumed Okita and he hunched over again.
"Okita!" Saito cried. He slashed through another Ishin Shishi warrior and ran over to the young man. "Okita, stand down!"
"No!" Okita protested, shoving Saito away. "I WANT to do this MYSELF! This is MY fight!" Okita faced Battousai. "Come, Himura-san. Let's finish this!" Battousai ran forward. His sword met Okita's.
"Okita, stop!" Saito growled at him. He skewered three Ishin Shishi members, then slashed through one that was sneaking up of Tokio. She turned and ran over to him, her clothes splattered with blood.
"Hajime, where's Okita-san?" Tokio asked. Saito pointed to where Okita and the Battousai were feverishly battling it out.
"He won't listen to me. He's in no shape to fight because of that cold that he's never gotten rid of!" Saito replied. Battousai performed a Ryu so sen, followed by a Ryu tsui sen. Okita dodged both of them, then attacked with his three hit combo. He also missed, but Battousai had jumped and landed behind him.
"I'll kill you now," Battousai mumbled. His hand pulled the sword out of its sheath.
"OKITA!" Saito cried, and charged in with the fastest Gatotsu he could muster. It was just enough to stop the Battousai's blade from killing Okita, but it did slash his back, knocking him forward and rendering him unconscious. Tokio ran over and crouched next to Okita's fallen body.
"Is he going to be okay?" Tokio asked Saito. He was facing the Battousai, but didn't seem ready to fight. "Hajime?" Tokio asked. Then, she happened to glance down at his sword. The blade was cracked and chipped.
"Give me Okita's sword," Saito muttered. "This one is beyond repair." Tokio nodded and handed him Okita's katana. Saito took it and tossed his sword at the Battousai. He parried it with his own, but that proved to be a mistake. Saito had charged with a Gatotsu right after it so that once the first sword was blocked, the Gatotsu would still be there to hit its target. Battousai narrowly dodged it, but Saito attacked with a side sweeping attack. Battousai managed to avoid that one by leaping into the air.
"RYU TSUI SEN!" Battousai yelled.
"Gatotsu third stance!" Saito cried, leaping up to counter the attack. They both fell to the ground slightly wounded. None of them noticed that the sound had diminished greatly. Most of the warriors had been killed and only a few were left, attempting to fight to the finish. Battousai sheathed his sword and attacked before Saito could react.
Can't beat the god-like speed of the Hiten-Mitserugi style, so... He thought. Saito used his zero stance Gatotsu to counter, tossing the Battousai backwards. Like a cat, he landed on his feet.
"It appears we have another draw," Battousai said. He held up his sword. It was split in two; one piece was stuck into the ground.
"Yes, it appears so," Saito smirked, holding up Okita's borrowed sword, which was also cut in two. "We'll have to finish this another day, Battousai!" He turned to Okita and Tokio. Then, he heard a familiar voice, one that he was sure that he would never forget. SUZUKE.
"You're fleeing a battle, Battousai?" Suzuke grumbled. He spotted Saito, Tokio and Okita on the side of the road.
"No, it is a draw, Suzuke-san," Battousai said. Saito attempted to keep his hand from creeping to his wakizashi, but it was in vain. Even years of training his self-control couldn't stop him from drawing the shorter sword and charging at the hated man. Battousai, who shoved Saito away, stopped him. Suzuke let out a cackle.
"Allow the dog to attack me!" Suzuke laughed. Saito's amber eyes narrowed.
"You..." Saito spat. He sheathed the wakizashi, using all the self-control he could muster. Then, he turned and walked back to where Tokio was waiting.
"Hajime?" she whispered. He gave her a slight shake of his head and made a move to pick up Okita. Suddenly, he whirled around knocked away the blade that was heading for his face and took Suzuke down.
"You wanna try anymore cheap tricks?" Saito asked. His voice was dripping with hatred. "Answer."
"N-no, sir," Suzuke said, now frightened out of his wits. Saito's sharp wolf-like eyes pierced Suzuke's.
"Good," Saito said. "Because that was your last." He unsheathed his wakizashi and plunged it into Suzuke's heart. Then, he stood, pulling it out.
"Why do you kill, Hajime Saito?" Suzuke choked. "You know that you've lost this war. Why continue?"
"I live to protect Japan and by the essence of the Shinsengumi: Aku. Soku. Zan," Saito replied, sheathing the wakizashi. He walked over to Okita's body and picked it up carefully.
"Hajime?" Tokio asked. He just shot her a soft glare and wrapped his free arm protectively around her shoulders. All of the fighting had ceased and only a few injured warriors were still trying to fight for their side. Saito collected all of his men that were alive and they limped back to the inn.
"The others ran off, I'm sure of it," Saito muttered, glancing at the bodies that littered the ground. They walked into the inn where Saito put Okita's body on the futon in his and Tokio's room. Then, he let Tokio take care of Okita while he left to find a doctor.
A/N: You might have to wait for a while for the next chapter to come out...
Stungun Millie: A what?! NO WAY!
Koneko: Gotcha. Okay, I'll look at your fic...
Kaiya-chan: Thank you for your support. I'll check out your fic now...^_^
Okita thrust his sword forward, executing his lightning-fast three-hit attack. Only one of the three hits connected with its target. Battousai ignored the warm blood dripping down his arm and unsheathed his sword with god-like speed. It was just short of slicing Okita in two, however it did cause an injury to both of Okita's legs.
"Your skills have gotten even better, Himura-san!" Okita smiled. He raised his sword. Battousai gave a shadow of a smile.
"Yours, too," was his reply. They both darted forward. Okita attacked with a normal Hiratsuki this time, but Battousai jumped up, attempting to use the Hiten- Mitserugi Style Ryu Tsui Sen. He smashed into the floor as Okita dodged, but Battousai wasn't finished quite yet. Quickly sheathing his sword, he attacked with Battou-jutsu. Okita pulled his sheath up just enough to block to strike, but Battousai turned the Battou-jutsu into Soryusen, using his sheath to attack Okita. It hit Okita in the side-area and Okita was thrown backward. Okita crouched on the floor, hunching over his sword that he had dropped after receiving the blow.
"Himura-san... you never cease to amaze me," Okita said, attempting to smile, but a wave of coughs took over. Small droplets of blood dripped from his mouth onto the gleaming blade of his sword.
"Okita!" Saito's voice was heard not far away. "Stay out of the fight! I'll finish the Battousai! Just STAND DOWN!"
"No, Saito-san!" Okita said. "I cannot flee before an enemy after we have begun our battle. You of all people should understand that!" He stumbled up, raised the sword, and ran forward where he and the Battousai clashed.
"Okita!" Saito yelled back, seeing his friend continue the battle. He watched as the two warriors jumped backward. Okita began to cough and crumpled to the floor. More red droplets from Okita's mouth fell onto the untainted blade. They rolled off onto the floor. Okita just continued to cough, more blood appearing on the blade.
"Stay OUT of this, Saito-san!" Okita snarled, glaring at his friend with crazed eyes. "I want to do this myself!" A coughing fit consumed Okita and he hunched over again.
"Okita!" Saito cried. He slashed through another Ishin Shishi warrior and ran over to the young man. "Okita, stand down!"
"No!" Okita protested, shoving Saito away. "I WANT to do this MYSELF! This is MY fight!" Okita faced Battousai. "Come, Himura-san. Let's finish this!" Battousai ran forward. His sword met Okita's.
"Okita, stop!" Saito growled at him. He skewered three Ishin Shishi members, then slashed through one that was sneaking up of Tokio. She turned and ran over to him, her clothes splattered with blood.
"Hajime, where's Okita-san?" Tokio asked. Saito pointed to where Okita and the Battousai were feverishly battling it out.
"He won't listen to me. He's in no shape to fight because of that cold that he's never gotten rid of!" Saito replied. Battousai performed a Ryu so sen, followed by a Ryu tsui sen. Okita dodged both of them, then attacked with his three hit combo. He also missed, but Battousai had jumped and landed behind him.
"I'll kill you now," Battousai mumbled. His hand pulled the sword out of its sheath.
"OKITA!" Saito cried, and charged in with the fastest Gatotsu he could muster. It was just enough to stop the Battousai's blade from killing Okita, but it did slash his back, knocking him forward and rendering him unconscious. Tokio ran over and crouched next to Okita's fallen body.
"Is he going to be okay?" Tokio asked Saito. He was facing the Battousai, but didn't seem ready to fight. "Hajime?" Tokio asked. Then, she happened to glance down at his sword. The blade was cracked and chipped.
"Give me Okita's sword," Saito muttered. "This one is beyond repair." Tokio nodded and handed him Okita's katana. Saito took it and tossed his sword at the Battousai. He parried it with his own, but that proved to be a mistake. Saito had charged with a Gatotsu right after it so that once the first sword was blocked, the Gatotsu would still be there to hit its target. Battousai narrowly dodged it, but Saito attacked with a side sweeping attack. Battousai managed to avoid that one by leaping into the air.
"RYU TSUI SEN!" Battousai yelled.
"Gatotsu third stance!" Saito cried, leaping up to counter the attack. They both fell to the ground slightly wounded. None of them noticed that the sound had diminished greatly. Most of the warriors had been killed and only a few were left, attempting to fight to the finish. Battousai sheathed his sword and attacked before Saito could react.
Can't beat the god-like speed of the Hiten-Mitserugi style, so... He thought. Saito used his zero stance Gatotsu to counter, tossing the Battousai backwards. Like a cat, he landed on his feet.
"It appears we have another draw," Battousai said. He held up his sword. It was split in two; one piece was stuck into the ground.
"Yes, it appears so," Saito smirked, holding up Okita's borrowed sword, which was also cut in two. "We'll have to finish this another day, Battousai!" He turned to Okita and Tokio. Then, he heard a familiar voice, one that he was sure that he would never forget. SUZUKE.
"You're fleeing a battle, Battousai?" Suzuke grumbled. He spotted Saito, Tokio and Okita on the side of the road.
"No, it is a draw, Suzuke-san," Battousai said. Saito attempted to keep his hand from creeping to his wakizashi, but it was in vain. Even years of training his self-control couldn't stop him from drawing the shorter sword and charging at the hated man. Battousai, who shoved Saito away, stopped him. Suzuke let out a cackle.
"Allow the dog to attack me!" Suzuke laughed. Saito's amber eyes narrowed.
"You..." Saito spat. He sheathed the wakizashi, using all the self-control he could muster. Then, he turned and walked back to where Tokio was waiting.
"Hajime?" she whispered. He gave her a slight shake of his head and made a move to pick up Okita. Suddenly, he whirled around knocked away the blade that was heading for his face and took Suzuke down.
"You wanna try anymore cheap tricks?" Saito asked. His voice was dripping with hatred. "Answer."
"N-no, sir," Suzuke said, now frightened out of his wits. Saito's sharp wolf-like eyes pierced Suzuke's.
"Good," Saito said. "Because that was your last." He unsheathed his wakizashi and plunged it into Suzuke's heart. Then, he stood, pulling it out.
"Why do you kill, Hajime Saito?" Suzuke choked. "You know that you've lost this war. Why continue?"
"I live to protect Japan and by the essence of the Shinsengumi: Aku. Soku. Zan," Saito replied, sheathing the wakizashi. He walked over to Okita's body and picked it up carefully.
"Hajime?" Tokio asked. He just shot her a soft glare and wrapped his free arm protectively around her shoulders. All of the fighting had ceased and only a few injured warriors were still trying to fight for their side. Saito collected all of his men that were alive and they limped back to the inn.
"The others ran off, I'm sure of it," Saito muttered, glancing at the bodies that littered the ground. They walked into the inn where Saito put Okita's body on the futon in his and Tokio's room. Then, he let Tokio take care of Okita while he left to find a doctor.
A/N: You might have to wait for a while for the next chapter to come out...
Stungun Millie: A what?! NO WAY!
Koneko: Gotcha. Okay, I'll look at your fic...
Kaiya-chan: Thank you for your support. I'll check out your fic now...^_^
