The Predestination

Chapter 3

The reunion

Ten years later

In the outskirts of Kyoto, a little stand was shadowed under a flourishing banyan which was very pleasant in this sweltering summer weather. Several travelers were sitting on the scattered benches, lazily exchanging the recent rumors in capital to pass the unbearably hot noon.

"I just came back from my cousin's place. You'd better not to go to the downtown these days. They said Battousai appeared again. He's killed five people in this month." a middle-aged man said to other travelers. At the mention of Battousai, everyone seemed to be wakened up from the lulling heat.

"Nah, don't you worry pal. I heard that he only killed rich people, you're out of his list." someone mocked. Several people laughed.

"You have no idea how those people die," the middle-aged man defended. "After he killed his target, he disappeared right away, and let his followers do whatever they want with the family left. Women were rapped, children were mercilessly killed. Anywhere they showed up, the place would soon to be the hell on earth." the man couldn't help but shudder at the thought. The laughter had long ceased while the man was talking, instead, an uneasy tension was filled in the air of the small stand.

Everyone knew what the man said was true, but they were afraid to face the reality. Rumors about Battousai and his men were thrown everywhere in the past few months. Each rumor about how he and his men treated their target was only getting more and more ghastly. People in Kyoto were all afraid that they'd be the next. However, according to the local official's tracking since Battousai showed up, it did seem that he only picked those rich people as his goal.

"Well, at least he seems to be honorable enough to rob only those arrogant, wealthy businessmen." a young man in his early twenties interrupted the silence. He got nothing to lose even if Battousai had decided to strike him, albeit that he did want to experience women's warmth once before his death.

The owner of the stand just continued his work wordlessly. Taking orders absentmindedly from other customers who didn't take part in the conversation. He had listened to all his customers talking about this Battousai for a month. He wondered if he had memorized those horrible stories already. Sometimes when he didn't have enough customers to exhaust himself, he would have those nightmares at the nighttime. All of them reconstructed the stories he heard. So vivid were the nightmares that even he— the most well-informed man in this town as he secretly prized himself— couldn't stop shaking furiously at the mere thought of those cruel scenes.

Maybe he should after all suggest Kaoru-san to stop selling tofu for a period of time, just to be safe. The middle-aged man, owner of the stand, started to contemplate. She would not be able to fight back with her frail body, and Battousai wasn't famous for his mercy.

Kaoru-san had just moved to his neighborhood for two years. Judging from her behaviors and manners, she ought to be from the high class. Yet she didn't have any servants, lived alone in this nameless town, and her clothes were made of crude cloth. She started to sell tofu since her arrival, but due to her small strength, she couldn't use the mill easily. Thus when she finished the tofu, it was near the noon. However, she loved to share with the little she had. Everyone in the town had drawn to her for her kindness and true sincerity. So they were eager to help her instead, and he was one of them. He tried to help her indirectly, which means by asking her to sell all her left tofu everyday to him. She seems to understand it was a shy way from this widower to help her, for she only smiled, and bowed to thank him. Not that he had any bad ideas about her, but maybe, just maybe one day she would consider about him, and decided that he might not be a bad person to spend life with.

Meanwhile, the discussion was still going on.

"I wonder how this Battousai looks like?" the former young man threw out this question unexpectedly.

"Baka! Whoever saw him was killed immediately. How could you know what he looks like if there's no witness left?"

"Iie. There was indeed some description about his appearance." the middle-aged man spoke. "It was said that Battousai has quite a small frame, with peculiar red hair and a long scar on the left side of his face like this…" he paused in demonstrating how the scar goes from his cheek to jaw, stupefied. Everyone including of the shopkeeper turned to look in the line of his sight curiously.

Unwittingly, just during their conversation, a stranger came in with his two young satellites. He sat in the furthest corner from the center of the conversation, drinking quietly. One of the boys he brought kept fingering a long object covered in black cloth. The stranger was dressed in black attire, like his two companions. Although the stand was sheltered from the sun, the stranger still wore a leaf hat which covered half of his face. However it wasn't hard to tell he was smirking by how his lips lift. A scar could be seen clearly on his left cheek.

"…and there were always two boys by his side." The middle-aged man finished weakly, pointing his fingers tremblingly at the stranger. He opened and closed his mouth several times, but nothing came out of his mouth. All of other customers inside of the stand were petrified in a dead silence. No one except the trio dared to move fearing for the upcoming storm.

"Tomosake-san, I brought your tofu here." a mezzo soprano rang, shattering the uneasiness. Like the spell was broken, everyone suddenly sprang to move. The middle-aged finally found his voice, "Battousai!!"

A woman dressed like a common farm girl stood by a cart, looking puzzled by all people scrambling out of the stand. She was very slim, even gaunt. It was hard to imagine she could push the heavy cart by herself. Her face didn't wear the usual blush after exercising but an unhealthy paleness. Beads and beads of perspiration dangled on her delicate jaw and nose. The only feature on her face that could be called charming was her eyes. They held peace and solemnity even when they were confused right now.

"Kamiya-san, don't come over here. It's Battousai, he'll kill you!" yelled Tomosake the shopkeeper, but then hollered in pain when his right ear was peeled from its original place. The boy who had been fingering an object revealed that it was a sword, and the said sword was dripping with the shopkeeper's blood. However, the stranger in black still didn't say a word and drank his sake calmly.

"Tomosake-san!" the woman cried, hurrying in the stand, and knelt beside the bleeding man. She quickly tore her sleeve to bandage the man, and then lifted her face to stare at the stranger. "Why did you do this?"

The stranger slowly removing his hat finally looked at her for the first time. A pair of stunning golden eyes widened a bit at surprise but soon became as cold as before. "It's been a long time, Kamiya Kaoru."

Kaoru was taken aback by how familiar the man looked. Suddenly it struck her, "It's you, Himura-san. You're the Battousai."

"Yes, I've been called by that these days." the man mocked, "So do you regret that you saved this villain's life now? Because of you, dozens and dozens of lives were taken by these two hands." Raising his hands, he stared intently at her. His gaze held hers, penetrated her.

"Yes, I do regret." Golden eyes flickered with unknown emotion. "But I regret that I didn't stay by you those years. It must be very hard for you to earn a living by yourself." She hadn't seen him since that day. They were separated when people rushed out of the temple. She was spotted by her loyal maid and was taken away quickly from the racket. After that day, lots of things happened to her family. She thought of him several times, worrying if he'd be ok. But she had never imagined that she would meet him in this situation after ten years.

The man sniffed, "Ever the hypocrite." Then he stood up, "So are you ready to fulfill your promise and come with me?" it wasn't a request, but a notice. Her image never occurred to him since that day, he told himself. But if he sees her now, there's no way he'd let her slip away from him again.

The shopkeeper decided to speak that moment, "No! Kaoru don't go with him. He's a beast; you don't know what he'd do to you." He covered his wound with his hand, ashen-faced and shaking from head to toe.

Battousai glanced at the boy with the sword, and the boy slid into an attacking stance.

"I'd suicide, if you do anything harmful to this man." Kaoru stood, determination in her eyes, "I'll go with you." She said quietly, ignoring the protesting man beside her.

"Good." Battousai turned to leave, followed by his two satellites. "Let's go."

"Kaoru, don't go." The shopkeeper grabbed her leg with both hands, hating himself for being so weak. The blood soaked the cloth in red, opposite to his pale face.

Kaoru knelt down again to loose his hold, "Gomenasai, Tomosake-san. If it weren't me, you wouldn't get hurt. Please take care of yourself, and take my money to see a doctor. Don't worry, he wouldn't hurt me."

With that she walked out of the stand to the mysterious man and unknown future, never looking back.

TBC

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. But if I don't get this out, I probably never will. Please leave your review so I know what you think. I've been thinking about whether Kenshin should meet up with Hiko. Oh well, let's just wait and see if that's really necessary. Thank you for your patience. 'Till next time.