To Be Free
Part 12
Shadows of the Past
By Maria Cline
"Sir, I called you because of a serious matter had come up over two weeks ago. I know you had been denying the fact that he exists since the new Government had been established but you cannot deny he exists any more. Himura Kenshin the Hitokiri Battousai had appeared in Tokyo." Tetsu paused as he looked at the man in front of him. He could not help but feel ironic. Ten years ago, he was his enemy, a man he swore he would take down and now he was serving him.
"Are you sure this was the real Battousai? There had been imposters before."
"He's my height, have long red hair with a cross shaped scar on his left cheek, and he calls himself 'Kenshin'. I doubt it was a mere coincidence." Tetsu said as he crossed his arms. "Besides, Lieutenant Fujita Goro, or as you know him, Hajime Saitou, saw him and verified that and he fought him before."
"Do you know what happened to him over the past ten years?"
"Not really, our contacts are trying to find that out but... we believe that he had been a slave for a while. At least, he was a slave when he was brought into Tokyo."
Silence filled the air and the older man held his head.
"Are you certain of that? The Battouasi is one of the best swordsmen I had ever seen. Why would he become a slave? Was he crippled?"
"Not physically, Sir. He did show a tendency to throw up every time he tried to fight at first but recently, he had begun to overcome that tendency."
"Can he still fight?"
Tetsu got out his notebook and said, "We watched him since he came to Tokyo, he still have that infamous godlike speed, he can still do things that defy logic like predict dice rolls. We have not tested his full capacity yet but I can honestly say that he can still fight."
"It does not make any sense. Why didn't anyone notice this before? Kenshin is a very unique looking individual. Someone he had served with before or had fought would've noticed him before he ended up in Tokyo. Do you think that he would serve with the Government?"
"I don't know. He had been seen with Sagara Sanosuke, a known Sekihoutai member who didn't like the Government that much. However, Sanosuke didn't know that Kenshin is the Battousai. He didn't even know his real age until two weeks ago."
"I see. I wish you had told me this before. Have you told any of your superiors?"
"To be honest sir, you are one of the few politicians I trust. Like you said, it was bizarre for someone like Kenshin to not be noticed by the Government for at least ten years. The Battousai was feared by Chousu forces and Shoganate forces alike. You are one of the few that still have the infamous samurai sense of honor."
"What about the Shinsengumi? Weren't they scared of him?"
"Well sir…" Tetsu paused, "The Shinsengumi were always eager to fight the Battousai."
"Of course. Thank you for your report. Keep me notified of Kenshin's progress."
"Yes, sir." Tetsu bowed and then walked out.
Yamagata Aritomo sighed as he rubbed his temples. He reached into his desk and got out a framed picture of his old friends. "Katsura-san, he is alive. Kenshin was still alive but he was still hurting. I have to make it up to him for the way his comrades ignored him, like I ignored him."
*****
"You idiots!" Tani screamed as he marched up and down the office while his two lackeys sat on their cushions. Tani was a heavy set man who had gained weight over the years. He had gotten more power and is now a high ranking politician. "How can you let that dojo slip through your fingertips again? You are so lucky that you two are my brother-in-laws or you would be in jail right now!"
"I can't help it, that runt was stronger than we thought." Gohei moaned as he rubbed his bandages.
"What 'runt'?" Tani asked as he turned around interested.
Kehei explained, "We thought we
can hold one of Kaoru's friends hostage so we cannot
get hurt by Zanza again. It nearly worked too but our hostage broke
free and beat up my brother and myself.
He was inhumanly fast."
"Yeah, he was weird looking too, he was so small and girly with all that red
hair." Gohei recalled as he shivered.
Tani paled. "Does he have a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek?" He whispered as he checked the windows.
"Yeah. He was really mad when I bragged about how I pretended to be the Battousai!" Gohei laughed as he thought about when he held Kenshin captive.
"YOU IDIOTS!!!" Tani screamed as he grabbed Gohei and Kehei's collars. "THAT WAS THE BATTOUSAI!"
"The Battousai really existed?" The two brothers said in shock.
Tani sweat hard as he let go and took a drink of water. "He was my bodyguard during the Bakumatsu. He was small, delicate looking, but insanely strong. He could take on over twenty men at once and not get a scratch. He was cold and showed no mercy when he kills. We didn't let on that he existed after he disappeared over ten years ago." He turned toward Gohei, "And you bragged about taking his name and ruining some poor girl's reputation?!"
"I didn't know he was the Battousai." Gohei squeaked. Then he smiled, "Hey, that means that she really does have the Battousai as a guest. We can ruin her reputation some more and-"
"NO!" Tani yelled, "The Battousai is highly protective. You were lucky to escape his wrath. No, we must leave before anyone finds out about this mess!"
*****
Kaoru sighed as she went up to the building. Ever since Kenshin's fight with Gohei, her mind was swarming with questions that need answers. She needed someone to talk to, someone who could understand and maybe provide the answers she needs.
"Kamiya-sensei!" Maekawa greeted as he came up. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't teaching today."
Kaoru bowed her head down and she replied, "I need to speak to you, alone. It's about Kenshin."
The elder man nodded as he gestured inside. "Of course. Come on in and have some tea."
The two went inside and sat down at a table with a tray of tea ready for them. Kaoru took a deep breath as she picked up a tea cup. She sipped her tea and bowed her head down.
"Kaoru, are you all right?" The elder asked as he raised his cup.
"I don't know. I got a new student and I had never been happier but I'm getting worried about Kenshin." Kaoru confessed, "When I first met him, I thought it would be easy for me to help him and enable him to lead a normal happy life for himself but… things are getting complicated. I met a man who seemed to be Kenshin's old mentor who was a cocky samurai. Then, he started to show amazing swordsmanship skills and abilities that I never seen before. He's so fast and agile, he could jump several feet off of the ground like a cat, ran faster than Sano, I even saw him dodge bullets!"
"Oh my." Maekawa said astounded, "I knew Kenshin was unique but I had no idea."
"Yes, and there's more. He started to show interest in a reverse blade sword at a store so I got him the sword. When he saw it in my hands, he begged me to keep it away from him. I kept it in the stand for the first week until Gohei kidnapped Kenshin and held him for ransom. I tried to fight him but… Kenshin managed to free himself and save me with that sword. He nearly killed the man but I stopped him. I care for Kenshin but right now, I don't know what I can do for him!" Kaoru held her head as she shook.
Maekawa looked around and asked, "How does he sleep?"
"Well… he still has nightmares and he don't sleep that long." Kaoru answered puzzled at the question.
"No, I mean, what kind of position does he sleep in."
Kaoru sat up next to a wall and propped her bokken on her shoulder. "He slept with the sword like this."
"I see." Maekawa stroked his beard and shook his head. "It makes sense. Kenshin was a fighter and a highly skilled fighter at that. Many seasoned fighters often sleep like that because it is impossible to tell if that person is awake and it's easy to draw out their sword in case of an ambush."
"I thought so but... he hates fighting. He used to get sick at the idea of fighting." Kaoru said as she looked out of the window. She suspected that Kenshin was stronger than he appeared but he was just so broken she couldn't confirm it.
"It's sad but not uncommon." Maekawa sighed. "There are times when a samurai could not hold a sword any more. Most of the times, the constant fighting or killing would get to him and he would just crack. My guess is that poor man had killed one too many times and lost the will to fight. It's sad really to see someone so young be tortured like that."
"He's twenty-eight."
"What?!" Maekawa exclaimed and then straightened himself out. "Then, it makes more sense. Kenshin has 'fighter's fatigue'."
"But, he can fight now." Kaoru said, "I saw him fight and he was incredible."
The elder man frowned as he bowed his head. "True, he could be getting better or he might be getting worse. I've seen fighters who went through what Kenshin went through and when they thought they were getting better, they suddenly lost control of their bloodlust and... let's just say that those who died are the lucky ones."
"What? Kenshin can't be like that!" Kaoru proclaimed as she stood up. "Kenshin will never be like that! He's nice and kind and overpolite! Are you positive that he can be like that?"
"I don't know. I can't be certain since I don't know Kenshin's past so I don't know what happened to cause this but… the best thing you can do is support him. Do what you have been doing before." Maekawa said firmly as he put his hand on her shoulder. "Just don't be afraid."
"I can never be afraid of Kenshin." Kaoru said as she bowed. "Thank you, I better go."
"You're welcome."
*****
Yahiko swung his shinai frustrated in the training room. "Ya!" He yelled as he jumped. Things had been feeling strange since Kenshin and Kaoru returned, since he found out the truth. It didn't bother him as much as he thought he would if he found out that he was sleeping in the same building as the most infamous assassin in the era.
He paused as he thought. /This mission has been getting weird since I got it; assassins, scary dojo masters, idiot fighters, and police officers who carry katanas, oh boy./ He smiled slightly, /But, those guys are pretty nice; much nicer than those gang members that's for sure. I hope Fujita won't kill Kenshin. I wonder what happens after this mission./ He paled as he thought of how his friends might think when they know that he was a spy. /Oh well. I better do this mission right so no one dies./
He got up and went to the door where Sano was sleeping in front. "Hey, Rooster-head, I'm going to the Akebeko. I'll be back." He muttered as he walked off.
*****
"I can't believe you, Kenshin. You are the only guy I know that would go back to work a day after he got kidnapped." Fudo said as he and his coworkers watched Kenshin worked. They were worried to death about him until Sensei told them what happened. Kudo offered Kenshin a day off but he refused. Now, he was back and the only thing that changed was the fact that he is wearing a sword across his back.
"I don't want to use this as an excuse to miss work." Kenshin replied as he smiled.
"But, you are making us look bad." Muso moaned as he shook his head.
"Gomen, Muso-san." Kenshin looked down. /I had to get away from the dojo anyway. Kaoru-dono felt bad because I was captured. She won't feel that way once she knows the truth./ /Once she does, she may kill you for your crimes./ /She's not like that! She hate killing. But, there are worse fates than death./
Kenshin shook his head and continued banging. Then, he sensed a strong presence. He looked down to see a familiar looking man dressed in a medicine man's wardrobe. The medicine man looked up and Kenshin gasped. "Saitou?" He muttered as his grip on the hammer tightened. He shook his head and then looked to see no one was there. /Am I loosing my mind?/
"Kenshin?"
Kenshin blinked at the voice and looked down to see Kaoru standing there. "Kaoru-dono, what are you doing here?" The man asked as he jumped from the roof and landed in front of her.
Kaoru looked to the side nervously. "I was just seeing how you are doing, Kenshin. I mean, did Gohei or his brother come up to cause trouble for you?"
"No. Things have been peaceful, that they were." Kenshin bowed his head as he smiled slightly.
"Hey, Kenshin!" Kudo yelled out, "You and 'Kaoru-dono' wanna spend some time alone?" He winked and the other men started whistling loudly.
Kenshin growled as he put his right hand on his hip and flicked his thumb. He looked down at his hand and imagined a sword on his hip rather than on his back. Sensei paled as he saw the slight movement. /Many fighters do that when they were getting ready to attack. These idiots don't know what they are provoking./ "Hey! Bug off, it's not like you don't have lovely women waiting for you!" Sensei yelled hoping to draw Kenshin's eyes away.
Kenshin looked down at his hand and shuddered. /Did I just do that? I was lucky that no one saw it./ /You enjoyed that./
"You go ahead and have the rest of the day off." Kudo waved as he grinned. "We're almost done anyway."
"Are you sure, sir?" Kenshin asked uncertain. "I don't want to force you to do unnecessary work, that I don't."
"We'll be fine!" Sensei said as he waved with Kudo. "You go ahead and spend time with her! You need it!" /Right now, Kaoru is perhaps the only one who can help him./
"Hai." Kenshin took a deep breath and he and Kaoru walked down the street. Cherry blossoms flew through the air as they went through the woods.
The woman looked at the falling blossoms and smiled. "Hmmm… aren't they beautiful?"
Kenshin looked up and watched the blossoms. "Yes, it is like snow." The man sighed as he put his hand on his right hip again. "Snow and cherry blossoms are opposites and yet have the same beauty."
"Really?" Kaoru asked stunned at Kenshin's sudden poetic spout. She watched the blossoms. "Yes, they are very much like snow. It never snowed here so I never saw real snow. Did you?"
Kenshin nodded as he picked up a handful of cherry blossoms and then tossed them to the wind. "Yes. Snow is beautiful, but snow is cold, hard to hold on, and if you remain in it too long, you feel nothing but numbness. Cherry blossoms are warmer, softer, and you can lay in them forever."
Kaoru smiled as she nodded. "Oh, Kenshin, I never knew that you were so poetic."
"Oro?" Kenshin blinked as he smiled. "Gomen, I didn't mean to do that."
"No, that's all right." Kaoru took a deep breath. "I just never really saw you be that reflective before. You are more open now. I like it. I like that you are showing your true self."
"My true self is not that great!" Kenshin snapped and then he put his hand on his face. "Gomen nasai, Kaoru-dono, I did it again."
"No, it's normal to feel angry. I get angry all the time." Kaoru pointed out as she put her hand on his shoulder.
"True, but you never wanted to kill anyone." Kenshin muttered as he sat down and leaned against a tree.
"And neither do you." Kaoru supported as she sat next to him. "You are a kind man, Kenshin. You are one of the kindest men I know." She paused as she tried to think of what to say. 'Should I tell him about my conversation with Maekawa-sense? No. It will just make him uncomfortable.'
/Your opinion of me will change once you see my true side./ Kenshin thought grimly as his bangs fell in front of his face.
Kaoru reached up and brushed his bangs up. "We will work through this. I promise."
*****
Tetsu sighed as he sat on a barrel near the dojo. His stomach turned as the wind became cool. /It's getting near that time. Saitou's plan is coming together and it will be no turning back after that. I was hoping that the past won't keep on haunting me like this./ He closed his eyes as he leaned back. /I wish there was another way of doing it. Hijikata-san, Ayu-nee, Kondo-san, Sannan, Okita-san, … how many more will this war take away from me? They had all died thanks to that war. I cannot lose more friends especially after the war is over./
He looked up to see Saitou, dressed in a medicine peddler's outfit walking toward the dojo. "Saitou-san!" Tetsu called out as he came to the man. "You are really going to do it, aren't you?"
"There is no other way. A sword can only be tested on the battlefield; it will either break, or become stronger after the first true blow." Saitou said as he looked down at him. "Stay out of my way."
Tetsu scowled. "Fine, just remember to control yourself. This is not the Bakumatsu and we do have a different code of ethics to follow. I trust you to remember what era this is."
"Fine." Saitou shrugged as he walked away.
The young man bowed his head and prayed, "Okita-san, please watch out for Saitou-san and Kenshin-san for me."
*****
Yahiko grunted as he put away the rice. "Here we go."
Tsubame, a young girl who is working as a waitress bowed, "Thank you very much, Yahiko-chan."
Yahiko scowled. "Don't call me chan! Anyway, it was nothing." The boy shrugged. He looked out to see Tetsu looking at him. /Him again./ "I'll be back." He went up to the man who was dressed in a gi and hakama set instead of the usual police officer uniform. "Yeah?"
"Yahiko, he is going to the dojo now so you better be careful. Watching two manslayers fight is like watching a typhoon. You don't want to get too close." Tetsu whispered.
"I'll be fine." The boy insisted, "I've seen two people fight before."
"Trust me on this; there is a difference between two people fighting and two demons fighting." Tetsu gazed down at him with knowing eyes. He had seen demons fight during the Bakumatsu. It was something he didn't want any twelve-year-old to watch. He walked away and as he did, he saw Kenshin and Kaoru walking toward the Akebeko together.
"Yahiko? What are you doing here?" Kaoru asked as she and Kenshin came up.
Tetsu gulped as he dodged into the shadows.
"I got bored so I came here." Yahiko shrugged. "I told Roosterhead, he's at the dojo right now."
"Wanting to be fed, no doubt." Kaoru chuckled as she put her bokken on her shoulder. "Let's go." Kenshin walked forward and then looked into the shadows. "Kenshin?" Kaoru asked as she looked where Kenshin was looking. "What is it?"
"Nothing. I thought I saw a puppy." Kenshin said as he shook his head.
In the shadows, Tetsu gritted his teeth. /A puppy?! I am taller than he is and just as old! Grrr… Puppy, ha!/
*****
Sano yawned as he got up and stretched. "What a good nap." He muttered as he looked around to see the dojo's door was locked and there were no signs of anyone inside. "Aw man, that brat ran off again! I should put him on a rope or something to keep him around here especially with those idiots running around loose." He crossed his arms. "And Jou-chan's not back yet so I can't eat."
"Excuse me?"
Sano noticed a tall man in black carrying around a medicine backpack. "Yeah?"
The man smiled as he tipped his hat. "Hello, I am Fujita Goro, and I have some great medicine for you!"
"We get our medicines from some doctors we know and besides, I don't live here and the real owners are gone now." Sano said as he studied the man. /There's something odd about him. But what?/
"Oh, I see." The man said startled, "Well, I better go then." He smiled politely and turned around.
Sano tensed up. /That's too easy, wait a second, he must be afraid of me or something due to my reputation. He's not a real medicine salesman. I could let him go but that's too easy. He must be with Gohei or some other nut. If he comes back here and only Jou-chan and Kenshin are here, they can't fight him./ "Hold it right there!" He yelled out as he grabbed Fujita's wrist.
Fujita turned around. "Yes?"
"You have beady eyes." Sano observed.
"It runs in the family." Fujita smiled slightly.
/He's good but I'm better./ Sano thought as he flipped Fujita's hand over to show his palm. "And your calluses are not that of a guy who makes medicines but a guy who wields a katana! You're not a medicine salesman at all are you?! Who are you?"
Fujita smiled slightly. "You are smarter than you look, Sagara Sanosuke."
Sanosuke jumped back and went into fighting stance. /He knows my name! Oh man, this is bad. Something is telling me this guy is not going to be your average thug. Cool./
Saitou was disappointed that the Battousai had not returned home yet when he saw the two left the workplace. /They must be out doing something interesting. Heh, I didn't even know he had it in him. I better leave a little message to get his blood pumping./ He reached behind his back and pulled out a hidden sword.
"Oh, so we're going to fight now. Good." Sano said as he ran up and punched Fujita in the jaw. Time became still as Sano waited for the moment when his opponent to fall over in agonizing pain which happened all the time before.
Instead, the man smirked. He got up and brushed off his outfit. "You have a strong punch, however if you were in Kyoto during the Bakumatsu, it would mean nothing."
Sanosuke's eyes widened. /He held off my punch. No one could ever hold off on my punch like that. He's strong, older than me, and he talked about the Bakumatsu so he must have fought there. Of course! It all makes sense!/ "I knew it! I had been waiting for this fight, Hitokiri Battousai!"
Saitou tipped over in shock. "Excuse me? You think that I am the Battousai?"
"Well, you are strong and pretty old." Sanosuke pointed out, "Besides, the Battousai would want to get Jou-chan for all those nasty rumors about him being a student here. I mean, you are evil."
Saitou chuckled. "You are an idiot. I am most definitely not the Battousai and I am not evil. True, he and I had the same level of skill and ability but he and I look different. The real Battousai is much smaller and delicate looking than me." Saitou held up his blade with his left hand and rammed at Sano.
He didn't have time to move or even to block. All he could think was, /He's fast./ The next thing he knew he was pushed through the dojo's walls and he was pinned down by a sword. He winced as he tried to get the sword out but couldn't.
Saitou got up and wiped his hands. He picked up the broken sword hilt. "Don't worry, that blow is not lethal." He put down his backpack and made sure the Shinsengumi symbol was showing. "This should provoke the real Battousai."
"What do you mean the real Battousai?" Sano asked as he painfully got up. He was confused and hurt. Yet, he had to fight him. He had to.
"You're still awake?" Saitou asked, "Interesting but you should have stayed down. You're injured."
"And you have no sword." Sano replied as he punched at Saitou again. The other man dodged and punched Sano into the wall again.
"Idiot, do you think that I never fought without a sword before?" Saitou said as he wiped his hands. "How can you think of protecting the Battousai if you can't even defend yourself?"
Sano winced as he tried to get up but the pain was too much. /Protect the Battousai? I can never do that. Wait… small… delicate… expert swordsman…/ Darkness and pain started to overwhelm him and his last thoughts were, /Kenshin... is the... Battousai?/
To Be Continued…
Responses to Reviews:
Due to the technical difficulties of the review system, I did not get many of the reviews to chapter 10 so I will combine them in this chapter.
Sailor-Earth 13- Yeah, the score had just gone up too. Thanks.
Victoria- The answers to your questions will be answered soon. I'm a little curious about how Kenshin will feel once everyone knows.
Kaoru-Gal- Yeah, I'd be freaked out too if I saw a woman covered in blood in my dreams. *shiver*
Lily of the Shadow- It's good and bad. LOL
Zxully anti-nostalgic- Thanks. I loved the idea when I first read the fic. And I felt that Kaoru would be the protective type especially in the anime.
Invader Zim- Well, in this chapter, Sano finds out. Kaoru's revelation is not that far away… *hint hint*
Somewei- Yeah, I love a good amount of fluffiness and action myself. It's pretty hard to combine too. Unless you count pillow fights. LOL
Kenshin's Angel- Yeah! Kenshin's getting stronger as he is letting himself go. It's getting worse…
Thanks for the reviews!
