DISCLAMER: I do not own the Ruroni Kenshin series, comics, or cartoons. Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, to any of you who gave them. Here's chapter two.
Kaoru's eyes snapped open. Her senses told her that something was wrong. The same man Yahiko had brought to the dojo was standing over her, sword in hand, ready to kill. She muttered a quick disarming spell, knocking the sword out of his hands, and punched him hard upwards into the chin while he was distracted. He toppled backwards, unconscious.
Yahiko ran into the room, hearing the commotion. "Hey! What happened?" he asked urgently. Kaoru panted and pointed to the sword and the man.
"He was trying to kill me," she said in a panicked whisper. His fierce amber eyes were etched into her brain, and she could feel their cold stare. She shivered.
The man groaned and sat up. Yahiko grabbed the sword and pointed it to his throat and Kaoru was thinking of which spells to use to extract some information out of him. Slowly, he revealed his face. He was smiling, a smile of an innocent child.
"You didn't have to punch so hard, you know," he said cheerfully to Kaoru, rubbing his chin. She stared at him, confused. Yahiko lowered the weapon in disbelief.
"But you tried to kill me!" Kaoru exclaimed. "You were going to kill me with your blade...and..." Tears started to roll down her cheeks. She buried her face in her sleeve, very frightened and thoroughly mixed-up. Yahiko turned to look at the man with hatred in his eyes, and yelled at him. "What's your name?! Why are you here?! Do you have any idea what she goes through?!" he bellowed.
The stranger calmly replied, "My name is Himura Kenshin." He went over to Kaoru and held her close. "It's okay, I won't hurt you now." His violet eyes seemed regretful and sorrowful as he tried to calm her down.
Kaoru slapped his hand away. "Who sent you? The government?! Did they decide that I was too evil for their cause, Kenshin?!" she spat, saying his name with hate. He closed his eyes and sighed.
"If you'll calm down, I'll speak my part," he explained. "And once again, I am truly sorry that I tried to hurt you. It is not normal for me to want to kill someone. I have...how do I explain? I have two personalities. One is evil and one is not so evil. I know it may sound hard to believe, but..." he trailed off. Suddenly, he punched the ground with his fist, leaving a large indent in the wood floor. "Damn those officials! The only way to change me is to hurt me! And I never get hurt!" He turned to Yahiko. "Do you know why? I'm a battousai...an evil...evil..." His innocent violet eyes emanated anger, anger so very deep that Yahiko could feel it from where he stood.
Kenshin looked at Yahiko. "I shall not hurt you, boy. I'm going to demonstrate the depth of my true monster." And, suddenly, he punched himself very hard in the chin, where Kaoru had knocked him out. Both Yahiko and Kaoru watched intently as he shook and twitched. He slowly looked up again. This time, the kind violet eyes were those of a feline's, slanted upward, and were a beautiful, yet horrifying, amber color. He smiled a cold smile.
"This is the other me."
They both gasped as they tried to back away. The battousai evilly smiled at them from where he sat. "Don't worry, I promised I wouldn't hurt you," he said mockingly. "Although I'm an idiot to pass up two perfectly helpless little lives." He punched himself in the chin again, and reverted back to the kinder Kenshin. "See?" he said weakly, sounding powerless. "Another side...and I can't..." He fell down again, unconscious for the third time that day.
Kaoru and Yahiko looked at each other. It was clear to them that Kaoru's dojo attracted only disturbed souls. Kenshin was number three.
Kaoru was busy that night, dragging Kenshin to the far end of the dojo. She also took a look at the nasty bruise under his chin. Poor man, she thought. How would it be like to be two people at once? And have no will over it? After she performed a minor healing spell, she fetched a blanket, and covered Kenshin with it. When he showed no signs of stirring, she breathed a sigh of relief. Kaoru gazed at him. Maybe he was a blessing in disguise...she didn't mind the nicer ego, but the evil one...she shuddered. She decided that she would let Kenshin stay, as long as he didn't revert to that demon. Quietly, her feet led her out of the room and she walked toward her bed.
The next morning, there was enough rice and miso soup left over to make breakfast. Kaoru was getting it ready, while Yahiko poked and prodded the odd stranger suspiciously.
"Hey, Kenshin, wake up!" he yelled into Kenshin's sleeping ear. "Breakfast!" He did not stir. Yahiko got up, obviously mad at him, and kicked him hard in the top part of his head. "I said, wake up!" This woke Kenshin up, as he smiled at Yahiko and grabbed his foot.
"Now, now, violence isn't the answer."
Yahiko snorted. "Hmph! Look who's talking!"
They had a quiet breakfast as Kenshin explained how the government sent him to kill Kaoru for witchcraft and how he'd gotten the information from the now-dead seer. But he didn't answer many whys. Kaoru was in disbelief. She hadn't hurt anyone! In fact, she wanted to help them. Be a doctor, a nurse, anything...her vision became blurry as her eyes filled up with tears. She couldn't see Kenshin's hand placed on her shoulder, but she felt his warmth and apology. And that was enough.
Yahiko, who was too young to recognize love, looked at them both like they were crazy. Here was a man who had tried to kill Kaoru, and Kaoru didn't hate him with her whole heart. He continued eating his breakfast, pretending not to care whether or not Kaoru actually had interest in this man.
After breakfast, the three of them went into town, to seek out the government officials who had altered Kenshin and ordered him to kill Kaoru. The people in town saw that they were coming, and ran into their houses and shops, seeing a battousai and a witch coming down the dirt road. Kenshin took Kaoru's hand and she blushed for the first time not because of embarrassment, but because of some deeper emotion. They walked hand in hand, while Yahiko glared at the people who dare give him a dirty look.
The whole time, the town was silent, as well as the three. The awkward silence hung between them, silent and odorless, yet thick as sap from a tree.
Suddenly, a voice rang out. "Hey, battousai!" A tall brown-haired man came out of the crowd who had gathered to see Kaoru and Kenshin. The man smirked. "Hey, I hear they've got a bounty on both of your heads, battousai and witch." Kaoru cringed at the name. He continued, "Well, why don't I just kill you both right here and now. My partner's not here right now, so I'll just have to use my two hands." He placed his feet shoulder-length apart, broadened his shoulders, and looked at them with an air of superiority. "Battousai." Kenshin looked startled to see that he was being talked to. "You'd better put up a fight before you die."
Yahiko had had enough. "What the heck is your problem, old man? What did these two ever do to you?" He stood in front of Kenshin. "I know this guy may be dangerous, but he doesn't mean to..." He stopped as the man came over and punched him "lightly" on the shoulder. Yahiko dropped to the ground like a dead weight, eyes opened in shock.
Kaoru yelled, "Yahiko!" She turned to the man. "Don't come any closer! I have magic coursing through my veins." She held up her trembling hands. "Don't make me use it!" The man came over to her, looked her in the eyes, smiled, and touched her on the forehead. She, too, was knocked out.
Kenshin knew that he was facing a very powerful opponent, but he didn't care. His face was contorted with anger as he quietly said, "What's your name, stranger?"
The man smiled yet again. "The name's Sanosuke. But you can call me Sano."
Kaoru's eyes snapped open. Her senses told her that something was wrong. The same man Yahiko had brought to the dojo was standing over her, sword in hand, ready to kill. She muttered a quick disarming spell, knocking the sword out of his hands, and punched him hard upwards into the chin while he was distracted. He toppled backwards, unconscious.
Yahiko ran into the room, hearing the commotion. "Hey! What happened?" he asked urgently. Kaoru panted and pointed to the sword and the man.
"He was trying to kill me," she said in a panicked whisper. His fierce amber eyes were etched into her brain, and she could feel their cold stare. She shivered.
The man groaned and sat up. Yahiko grabbed the sword and pointed it to his throat and Kaoru was thinking of which spells to use to extract some information out of him. Slowly, he revealed his face. He was smiling, a smile of an innocent child.
"You didn't have to punch so hard, you know," he said cheerfully to Kaoru, rubbing his chin. She stared at him, confused. Yahiko lowered the weapon in disbelief.
"But you tried to kill me!" Kaoru exclaimed. "You were going to kill me with your blade...and..." Tears started to roll down her cheeks. She buried her face in her sleeve, very frightened and thoroughly mixed-up. Yahiko turned to look at the man with hatred in his eyes, and yelled at him. "What's your name?! Why are you here?! Do you have any idea what she goes through?!" he bellowed.
The stranger calmly replied, "My name is Himura Kenshin." He went over to Kaoru and held her close. "It's okay, I won't hurt you now." His violet eyes seemed regretful and sorrowful as he tried to calm her down.
Kaoru slapped his hand away. "Who sent you? The government?! Did they decide that I was too evil for their cause, Kenshin?!" she spat, saying his name with hate. He closed his eyes and sighed.
"If you'll calm down, I'll speak my part," he explained. "And once again, I am truly sorry that I tried to hurt you. It is not normal for me to want to kill someone. I have...how do I explain? I have two personalities. One is evil and one is not so evil. I know it may sound hard to believe, but..." he trailed off. Suddenly, he punched the ground with his fist, leaving a large indent in the wood floor. "Damn those officials! The only way to change me is to hurt me! And I never get hurt!" He turned to Yahiko. "Do you know why? I'm a battousai...an evil...evil..." His innocent violet eyes emanated anger, anger so very deep that Yahiko could feel it from where he stood.
Kenshin looked at Yahiko. "I shall not hurt you, boy. I'm going to demonstrate the depth of my true monster." And, suddenly, he punched himself very hard in the chin, where Kaoru had knocked him out. Both Yahiko and Kaoru watched intently as he shook and twitched. He slowly looked up again. This time, the kind violet eyes were those of a feline's, slanted upward, and were a beautiful, yet horrifying, amber color. He smiled a cold smile.
"This is the other me."
They both gasped as they tried to back away. The battousai evilly smiled at them from where he sat. "Don't worry, I promised I wouldn't hurt you," he said mockingly. "Although I'm an idiot to pass up two perfectly helpless little lives." He punched himself in the chin again, and reverted back to the kinder Kenshin. "See?" he said weakly, sounding powerless. "Another side...and I can't..." He fell down again, unconscious for the third time that day.
Kaoru and Yahiko looked at each other. It was clear to them that Kaoru's dojo attracted only disturbed souls. Kenshin was number three.
Kaoru was busy that night, dragging Kenshin to the far end of the dojo. She also took a look at the nasty bruise under his chin. Poor man, she thought. How would it be like to be two people at once? And have no will over it? After she performed a minor healing spell, she fetched a blanket, and covered Kenshin with it. When he showed no signs of stirring, she breathed a sigh of relief. Kaoru gazed at him. Maybe he was a blessing in disguise...she didn't mind the nicer ego, but the evil one...she shuddered. She decided that she would let Kenshin stay, as long as he didn't revert to that demon. Quietly, her feet led her out of the room and she walked toward her bed.
The next morning, there was enough rice and miso soup left over to make breakfast. Kaoru was getting it ready, while Yahiko poked and prodded the odd stranger suspiciously.
"Hey, Kenshin, wake up!" he yelled into Kenshin's sleeping ear. "Breakfast!" He did not stir. Yahiko got up, obviously mad at him, and kicked him hard in the top part of his head. "I said, wake up!" This woke Kenshin up, as he smiled at Yahiko and grabbed his foot.
"Now, now, violence isn't the answer."
Yahiko snorted. "Hmph! Look who's talking!"
They had a quiet breakfast as Kenshin explained how the government sent him to kill Kaoru for witchcraft and how he'd gotten the information from the now-dead seer. But he didn't answer many whys. Kaoru was in disbelief. She hadn't hurt anyone! In fact, she wanted to help them. Be a doctor, a nurse, anything...her vision became blurry as her eyes filled up with tears. She couldn't see Kenshin's hand placed on her shoulder, but she felt his warmth and apology. And that was enough.
Yahiko, who was too young to recognize love, looked at them both like they were crazy. Here was a man who had tried to kill Kaoru, and Kaoru didn't hate him with her whole heart. He continued eating his breakfast, pretending not to care whether or not Kaoru actually had interest in this man.
After breakfast, the three of them went into town, to seek out the government officials who had altered Kenshin and ordered him to kill Kaoru. The people in town saw that they were coming, and ran into their houses and shops, seeing a battousai and a witch coming down the dirt road. Kenshin took Kaoru's hand and she blushed for the first time not because of embarrassment, but because of some deeper emotion. They walked hand in hand, while Yahiko glared at the people who dare give him a dirty look.
The whole time, the town was silent, as well as the three. The awkward silence hung between them, silent and odorless, yet thick as sap from a tree.
Suddenly, a voice rang out. "Hey, battousai!" A tall brown-haired man came out of the crowd who had gathered to see Kaoru and Kenshin. The man smirked. "Hey, I hear they've got a bounty on both of your heads, battousai and witch." Kaoru cringed at the name. He continued, "Well, why don't I just kill you both right here and now. My partner's not here right now, so I'll just have to use my two hands." He placed his feet shoulder-length apart, broadened his shoulders, and looked at them with an air of superiority. "Battousai." Kenshin looked startled to see that he was being talked to. "You'd better put up a fight before you die."
Yahiko had had enough. "What the heck is your problem, old man? What did these two ever do to you?" He stood in front of Kenshin. "I know this guy may be dangerous, but he doesn't mean to..." He stopped as the man came over and punched him "lightly" on the shoulder. Yahiko dropped to the ground like a dead weight, eyes opened in shock.
Kaoru yelled, "Yahiko!" She turned to the man. "Don't come any closer! I have magic coursing through my veins." She held up her trembling hands. "Don't make me use it!" The man came over to her, looked her in the eyes, smiled, and touched her on the forehead. She, too, was knocked out.
Kenshin knew that he was facing a very powerful opponent, but he didn't care. His face was contorted with anger as he quietly said, "What's your name, stranger?"
The man smiled yet again. "The name's Sanosuke. But you can call me Sano."