Author's Notes-–Welcome to the fifth chapter of Passage! ^^* This one took a while to churn out.. writer's block is hard to combat. I'm sorry to leave all of you for almost a month again! ^^* But I've had exams last week, and I've been working on Earth-Shattering (which is up to two chapters as of right now). I entirely revamped the past chapters.. Kenshin carried an umbrella in place of the sakabatou now. Tomoe's umbrella, too. ^^* Many, many thanks to Lady Nomad-san and Trin-san of RK Dreams, you guys have the best ideas for writing and fighting writers' block, respectively. More now..
Disclaimer–I hate writing these doo-hickeys. They interrupt the story and all of you know that I don't own this story.. I honestly don't. And the character's either. It's a sad, sad fact.. But it's just that way.
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Kenshin looked at his ailing former master in a very odd manner. He blinked several times before finally asking the question weighing in his mind. "A final right of passage?.. What?"
Katsura smiled faintly. "In your life, you have been through hell. You carry some of the heaviest burdens from the Bakumatsu. This was not the life intended for you, yet you readily accepted it. Blindly, you murdered in my name and the name of Chosuu. The scent of blood still lingers on your guilty conscience."
Kenshin merely bowed his head, his fiery red bangs covering his eyes. Everything the former leader was saying was undeniably true. He listened as Katsura continued, "So, over the years, I formulated a way that you could throw away that umbrella in a world that has no need for it."
Kenshin's eyes bugged. "I cannot throw away this umbrella! Katsura-dono, this umbrella is my way of repentance.. It's the freeing of my mind. My way out! If you take this from me, there is nothing to stop me from taking up another katana and being the Battousai again!"
Katsura chuckled, followed by a deep-throated cough. "This illness grows. Kenshin.. that umbrella is the reason for your torment. You carry Tomoe and guilt not only in your heart, mind, and that peculiar scar, but also in that umbrella. I've formulated a way for you to end this internal torment." He reached out his hand, indicating for the umbrella to be handed to him. Permanently, by the looks of Katsura's face.
Kenshin looked at the umbrella, clutching it to himself one last time. He felt as if it was one last embrace from Tomoe. But she would still be with him, he knew. But it would never be the same without her umbrella. He gave it to Katsura who, in turn, sat up and took the umbrella.
It was then that Katsura pointed Kenshin to a small bureau in the corner. The later stood and stalked towards the drawers. Katsura told him to check the top one. In it, Kenshin found a beautiful sheath and sword handle. He pulled it from the drawer. "Is this what you wanted to give me, Katsura-dono?"
Katsura nodded. "Go ahead, unsheath it."
Moving very slowly, to keep from cringing, Kenshin pulled out the blade. His eyes bugged once more, the sharp side was on the other side of the curve.. it was backwards! "But Katsura-san, what good is this now?"
"It's of great use. This way, you can still practice your Hiten Mitsuruugi Ryu without actually killing anyone. The blade can be flipped, of course, but this should help you in repentance than this old umbrella." Katsura smiled meekly. "But don't forget who you are. Lock your mind in that blade. Repent."
Kenshin did not say a word. He silently ran his hand along the sword's metal. It was the first time he had held a sword in his hands for more than ten years. And it made sense. But his heart still longed for the umbrella that was now nowhere to be seen in the room. Mystified, Kenshin searched Katsura's eyes eagerly. "What is this for?"
"There is a revolution growing here. Calm it with that blade in your hands. Then you should be free." Katsura said simply, his tone still very small. "Forget your guilt, you brought about this new era and many people are great for it.."
"But.. how?"
"You'll need to figure that one out on your own."
"Demo.. without Tomoe-dono's umbrella." Kenshin said quietly, looking down again at the presently re-sheathed sword.
"You can." Katsura laid back down stiffly, hold his head in pain. "Kenshin.. some specifics that you need to watch out for.. the mayor of this town, Udo Hibiki, is very corrupt. But he must stay in office or else his manslayer brother will descend upon the town. And not even you could stop a force like that."
"I was followed coming from the crowd-scene." Kenshin admitted. "He said something about having a leader that knew of me. And having a reputation to fight fairly. He was poorly skilled, and didn't even carry that much of a battle aura."
"That would probably be a new Lt. Ujiki of the police squad here. He's working under a former enemy of yours–Saitou Hajime of the Shinsengumi."
"Saitou is here?!" Kenshin asked hurriedly, worriedly.
"Hai. He's a high-ranking police official, carrying a sword as well. He was drafted here to help combat the growing unrest. He bought Ujiki with him. Word in the underground Satsuma is that he is actually helping the rebellion. But we have no proof of that." Katsura sighed quietly. "I hope this helps you.. I truly do, Himura. Please send in Ikumatsu."
With their meeting quite over, Kenshin rose, said a small prayer over Katsura, and walked through the shoji. He strapped the sakabatou to his side.. He hadn't had one there in years. Katsura said that this would work, and he still trusted the him. Kenshin felt that he should at least try it.
He felt somewhere in his heart that this would be the last meeting with Katsura. He admired the man, living through such troubles and arising a leader. A brilliant leader, if the news reports that he had read were true.. Satsuma had prospered. Kenshin walked towards the courtyard, reclaimed his shoes and gestured to Ikumatsu that it was her turn.
The people around him continued to buzz with excitement. The major politicians sat in a corner of a garden, talking amongst themselves. The former Kihei-tai and warriors sat together. The women stood gathered around a small well, constantly fanning themselves and dabbing their eyes with kerchiefs. Takasugi waved at him from another nook where sat the small group from earlier.
Kenshin walked over and sat on the grass of the area, near one of the many candles illuminating the aged manor in this dark night. "What did the old guy have to say to you?" Takasugi asked.
"Repentance." Kenshin said, removing the sword from his side and displaying it to Takasugi, who in turn took it. Takasugi removed the sheath and admired it in awe.
"He told me of giving you a sword. I thought that you'd be too foolish to accept it."
"I had no choice. He took my umbrella.. and I must have something to save lives with. This sakabatou may just be it." Kenshin smiled hopefully, as Takasugi replaced the sheath and gave it back to Kenshin.
"I hope, for your sake, that it is." Takasugi replied quietly.
"If Katsura-dono gave it to me, I guess I have no reason to fear it."
There was an awkward silence between the two for a moment. Eager to change the subject, Takasugi asked, "What is it that you will do now?"
"He asked me to stay and calm the rebellion."
"And then?"
"He didn't say."
The old Kamiya man spoke up at this point, "Perhaps you'd like to stay with my daughter and me in Tokyo? We have an old dojo with plenty of space. There's a rumor circulating of the Hitokiri Battousai being in Tokyo right now, actually. Perhaps, when this is over, you could calm that as well."
"Perhaps." Kenshin nodded. He had heard those rumors as well, just opting to ignore them.
As if on cue, Ikumatsu wandered out of the room quietly, tears slowly creeping down her cheeks. She ran into the arms of one of the women by the well. A doctor, identified by the Takani Medical Jacket that he wore, walked out with a grave look upon his face. "Katsura Kogoro-san has passed."
The women around them began weeping terribly, the men got looks upon their faces akin to that worn by the doctor. Kenshin looked about sadly. He gripped the sakabatou in in his hands tightly. Katsura was gone...
-~-~-~-
The cloaked figure approached the similar cloaked figure that he served in a vacant alleyway between two brothels. "Saitou-san? We just received word.. Katsura is gone, out of the way."
"Ujiki, do you always speak so ill of the dead?" Saitou snapped at him.
Caught off his guard, Ujiki stammered.. "Well, yes.. I mean, no.. it's just.. This is what we were waiting for, right? We're waiting for Katsura to die so that we could finish this rebellion?"
"I never said anything like that. I fight to stop this war." Saitou answered.
"Oh. I thought.." Ujiki said, dumbfounded yet again.
"Disregard your thoughts. They are nothing to you." Saitou told him stiffly, wondering to himself why in the gods he had requested to bring this goon with him from Tokyo.
"I followed that 'Battousai' for you."
"And..?"
"He is quite skilled. Very demanding battle aura." Ujiki reported. "But, something troubles me about him. He carried an umbrella in place of a sword."
"Figures. Purple, ne?"
"Hai."
"That was the umbrella of his beloved.. that he killed, oddly enough." Saitou gleamed. "He seeks to right his wrongs with that umbrella, just like she would have wanted him to."
"That's rather weak of him."
"Not weak," Saitou corrected his thug yet again, "Just stupid." He added under his breath, "Much like someone else that I know.."
"What was that, boss?"
"Nothing, it was nothing." Saitou recovered. "Continue to follow his movements here, we don't know what he is capable of, umbrella or no."
"Hai, boss." Ujiki hissed. He snapped an attention-like pose and quickly abandoned the alleyway, leaving his leader with a throbbing headache.
"So, Kenshin really is here.." Saitou said to no one but himself. ".. Maybe he will become the Battousai again and we can finish our battle." Smirking, he re-cloaked himself and walked out of the alleyway, headed in the opposite direction of Ujiki, ignoring the women beckoning him into th brothel. He took a few more steps, "Maybe.."
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Oi, that's it for Chapter Five. ^^* The beta-reader didn't get a chance to read this, so any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. As are reviews ^.-
See you in Chapter 6 – A Rebellion For the Calming.. (title is subject to change, as was this one ^^*)
Disclaimer–I hate writing these doo-hickeys. They interrupt the story and all of you know that I don't own this story.. I honestly don't. And the character's either. It's a sad, sad fact.. But it's just that way.
-----------------------------------
Kenshin looked at his ailing former master in a very odd manner. He blinked several times before finally asking the question weighing in his mind. "A final right of passage?.. What?"
Katsura smiled faintly. "In your life, you have been through hell. You carry some of the heaviest burdens from the Bakumatsu. This was not the life intended for you, yet you readily accepted it. Blindly, you murdered in my name and the name of Chosuu. The scent of blood still lingers on your guilty conscience."
Kenshin merely bowed his head, his fiery red bangs covering his eyes. Everything the former leader was saying was undeniably true. He listened as Katsura continued, "So, over the years, I formulated a way that you could throw away that umbrella in a world that has no need for it."
Kenshin's eyes bugged. "I cannot throw away this umbrella! Katsura-dono, this umbrella is my way of repentance.. It's the freeing of my mind. My way out! If you take this from me, there is nothing to stop me from taking up another katana and being the Battousai again!"
Katsura chuckled, followed by a deep-throated cough. "This illness grows. Kenshin.. that umbrella is the reason for your torment. You carry Tomoe and guilt not only in your heart, mind, and that peculiar scar, but also in that umbrella. I've formulated a way for you to end this internal torment." He reached out his hand, indicating for the umbrella to be handed to him. Permanently, by the looks of Katsura's face.
Kenshin looked at the umbrella, clutching it to himself one last time. He felt as if it was one last embrace from Tomoe. But she would still be with him, he knew. But it would never be the same without her umbrella. He gave it to Katsura who, in turn, sat up and took the umbrella.
It was then that Katsura pointed Kenshin to a small bureau in the corner. The later stood and stalked towards the drawers. Katsura told him to check the top one. In it, Kenshin found a beautiful sheath and sword handle. He pulled it from the drawer. "Is this what you wanted to give me, Katsura-dono?"
Katsura nodded. "Go ahead, unsheath it."
Moving very slowly, to keep from cringing, Kenshin pulled out the blade. His eyes bugged once more, the sharp side was on the other side of the curve.. it was backwards! "But Katsura-san, what good is this now?"
"It's of great use. This way, you can still practice your Hiten Mitsuruugi Ryu without actually killing anyone. The blade can be flipped, of course, but this should help you in repentance than this old umbrella." Katsura smiled meekly. "But don't forget who you are. Lock your mind in that blade. Repent."
Kenshin did not say a word. He silently ran his hand along the sword's metal. It was the first time he had held a sword in his hands for more than ten years. And it made sense. But his heart still longed for the umbrella that was now nowhere to be seen in the room. Mystified, Kenshin searched Katsura's eyes eagerly. "What is this for?"
"There is a revolution growing here. Calm it with that blade in your hands. Then you should be free." Katsura said simply, his tone still very small. "Forget your guilt, you brought about this new era and many people are great for it.."
"But.. how?"
"You'll need to figure that one out on your own."
"Demo.. without Tomoe-dono's umbrella." Kenshin said quietly, looking down again at the presently re-sheathed sword.
"You can." Katsura laid back down stiffly, hold his head in pain. "Kenshin.. some specifics that you need to watch out for.. the mayor of this town, Udo Hibiki, is very corrupt. But he must stay in office or else his manslayer brother will descend upon the town. And not even you could stop a force like that."
"I was followed coming from the crowd-scene." Kenshin admitted. "He said something about having a leader that knew of me. And having a reputation to fight fairly. He was poorly skilled, and didn't even carry that much of a battle aura."
"That would probably be a new Lt. Ujiki of the police squad here. He's working under a former enemy of yours–Saitou Hajime of the Shinsengumi."
"Saitou is here?!" Kenshin asked hurriedly, worriedly.
"Hai. He's a high-ranking police official, carrying a sword as well. He was drafted here to help combat the growing unrest. He bought Ujiki with him. Word in the underground Satsuma is that he is actually helping the rebellion. But we have no proof of that." Katsura sighed quietly. "I hope this helps you.. I truly do, Himura. Please send in Ikumatsu."
With their meeting quite over, Kenshin rose, said a small prayer over Katsura, and walked through the shoji. He strapped the sakabatou to his side.. He hadn't had one there in years. Katsura said that this would work, and he still trusted the him. Kenshin felt that he should at least try it.
He felt somewhere in his heart that this would be the last meeting with Katsura. He admired the man, living through such troubles and arising a leader. A brilliant leader, if the news reports that he had read were true.. Satsuma had prospered. Kenshin walked towards the courtyard, reclaimed his shoes and gestured to Ikumatsu that it was her turn.
The people around him continued to buzz with excitement. The major politicians sat in a corner of a garden, talking amongst themselves. The former Kihei-tai and warriors sat together. The women stood gathered around a small well, constantly fanning themselves and dabbing their eyes with kerchiefs. Takasugi waved at him from another nook where sat the small group from earlier.
Kenshin walked over and sat on the grass of the area, near one of the many candles illuminating the aged manor in this dark night. "What did the old guy have to say to you?" Takasugi asked.
"Repentance." Kenshin said, removing the sword from his side and displaying it to Takasugi, who in turn took it. Takasugi removed the sheath and admired it in awe.
"He told me of giving you a sword. I thought that you'd be too foolish to accept it."
"I had no choice. He took my umbrella.. and I must have something to save lives with. This sakabatou may just be it." Kenshin smiled hopefully, as Takasugi replaced the sheath and gave it back to Kenshin.
"I hope, for your sake, that it is." Takasugi replied quietly.
"If Katsura-dono gave it to me, I guess I have no reason to fear it."
There was an awkward silence between the two for a moment. Eager to change the subject, Takasugi asked, "What is it that you will do now?"
"He asked me to stay and calm the rebellion."
"And then?"
"He didn't say."
The old Kamiya man spoke up at this point, "Perhaps you'd like to stay with my daughter and me in Tokyo? We have an old dojo with plenty of space. There's a rumor circulating of the Hitokiri Battousai being in Tokyo right now, actually. Perhaps, when this is over, you could calm that as well."
"Perhaps." Kenshin nodded. He had heard those rumors as well, just opting to ignore them.
As if on cue, Ikumatsu wandered out of the room quietly, tears slowly creeping down her cheeks. She ran into the arms of one of the women by the well. A doctor, identified by the Takani Medical Jacket that he wore, walked out with a grave look upon his face. "Katsura Kogoro-san has passed."
The women around them began weeping terribly, the men got looks upon their faces akin to that worn by the doctor. Kenshin looked about sadly. He gripped the sakabatou in in his hands tightly. Katsura was gone...
-~-~-~-
The cloaked figure approached the similar cloaked figure that he served in a vacant alleyway between two brothels. "Saitou-san? We just received word.. Katsura is gone, out of the way."
"Ujiki, do you always speak so ill of the dead?" Saitou snapped at him.
Caught off his guard, Ujiki stammered.. "Well, yes.. I mean, no.. it's just.. This is what we were waiting for, right? We're waiting for Katsura to die so that we could finish this rebellion?"
"I never said anything like that. I fight to stop this war." Saitou answered.
"Oh. I thought.." Ujiki said, dumbfounded yet again.
"Disregard your thoughts. They are nothing to you." Saitou told him stiffly, wondering to himself why in the gods he had requested to bring this goon with him from Tokyo.
"I followed that 'Battousai' for you."
"And..?"
"He is quite skilled. Very demanding battle aura." Ujiki reported. "But, something troubles me about him. He carried an umbrella in place of a sword."
"Figures. Purple, ne?"
"Hai."
"That was the umbrella of his beloved.. that he killed, oddly enough." Saitou gleamed. "He seeks to right his wrongs with that umbrella, just like she would have wanted him to."
"That's rather weak of him."
"Not weak," Saitou corrected his thug yet again, "Just stupid." He added under his breath, "Much like someone else that I know.."
"What was that, boss?"
"Nothing, it was nothing." Saitou recovered. "Continue to follow his movements here, we don't know what he is capable of, umbrella or no."
"Hai, boss." Ujiki hissed. He snapped an attention-like pose and quickly abandoned the alleyway, leaving his leader with a throbbing headache.
"So, Kenshin really is here.." Saitou said to no one but himself. ".. Maybe he will become the Battousai again and we can finish our battle." Smirking, he re-cloaked himself and walked out of the alleyway, headed in the opposite direction of Ujiki, ignoring the women beckoning him into th brothel. He took a few more steps, "Maybe.."
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Oi, that's it for Chapter Five. ^^* The beta-reader didn't get a chance to read this, so any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. As are reviews ^.-
See you in Chapter 6 – A Rebellion For the Calming.. (title is subject to change, as was this one ^^*)