Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Yo no owno Rurounio Kenshino. Moi no owne Rurounie Kenshine. Rurouni Kenshin bu shi wo de. Meow meow meow me Rurouni Kenshin meow. Quack quack quack quack quack Rurouni Kenshin. Squeakidy squeak squeaky squeak Rurouni Kenshin. Woof woof arf growl Rurouni Kenshin. Bubble bubble bub Rurouni Kenshin bubble. Pi pikachu Rurouni Kenshin pi pika kachu! Hm, English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Cat, Duck, Squirrel, Canine, Fish, Pokemon…did I get the point across yet? [ppl who speak the aforementioned languages, please excuse my lack of lingual ability]
a rurouni kenshin fanfic
Previously…
The more he tried to ponder it, the more confusion lanced through Kenshin's mind, until he could hardly make heads and tails of anything. This entire mess was going to take some serious thinking to straighten out. For one thing, he was definitely going to confront Kaoru about this (though definitely after she cooled off…). Somehow, he felt Kaoru was one that could be trusted.
Chapter 5:
The Ceremony of the Golden Bowl; A Clash of Steely Wills!
"I heard he's going to stop killing altogether."
"A master martial artist like him?! I don't believe you. I thought we just invited because he was resigning as clan [1] leader."
"He's holding the official ceremony today, idiot. What else can that mean?"
"…one thing for sure, the other fighting arts clans aren't going to be happy about it…"
The murmurings of the gathering crowd in the spacious veranda surprisingly remained a low hum, since they feared to speak their minds in the presence of the representatives of so many other powerful clans. Red lanterns could be seen everywhere, unlit, but still adding a touch of fresh touch of beauty to the already richly furnished outside hallway. Curving green roof shingles supported by sturdy red posts graced the overhead area with little need; it was an absolutely amazing day of clear blue skies and bright golden rays.
One end of the veranda extended into the small lake besides the mansion, forming a small pavilion. In the pavilion stood a slender wooden table holding a pure gold bowl filled with clean water. Every individual was in their best garb, the ceremony deemed by the rarely invited commoners a truly great day. Despite the underlying current of tension, genuine smiles lit the faces of the mixed wealthy and commoner crowd.
Master Genzai smiled kindly upon his granddaughters, his only biological family members left, as they peeked out from behind him at the large group of people.
"There are so many people, Ayame-chan!" Suzume exclaimed as she ducked back behind Master Genzai. Ayame assumed the air of a wise sage, stroking her little chin.
"Of course, Suzume-chan! Jii-chan is going to perform a sili-monnei!" She said wisely, struggling to pronounce 'ceremony' correctly.
"It's ceremony, Ayame-san," Midori, her cousin, corrected kindly as she finally gave into the urge to peek out. Her strict upbringing was allowed to lighten up just for today. Midori's emerald green eyes widened at the full room and she quickly ducked back to a façade of a perfect little lady. Master Genzai chuckled; trust his daughter to teach Midori so well despite the…circumstances.
He scanned the room. Everyone was here now. Master Genzai stepped into front of the crowd, silently gesticulating for his granddaughters to sit towards the side with the rest of his students. His stout figure immediately brought upon silence.
"I welcome you all to my home and to the ceremony I am going to take part in. Today, I shall wash my hands of a bloody sword and resign as clan leader. No more lives are to be taken by these old hands. Enough said, I'm sure most of you came for the food to follow anyways, not to listen some old man talk out his tongue!" Several chuckles greeted that comment. Master Genzai grinned good-naturedly and started for the gold bowl at the other end of the spacious veranda. The crowd parted respectfully for him, showing the long stretch of festive red carpet that lead to the pavilion. He exchanged smiles with every face he came upon.
Master Genzai's decision was a step closer to the peace that so many people yearned for in an era where the knowledge of martial arts meant survival. Under the peaceful surface of the society they lived in, a continuous battle raged on between martial artists to be "Ten Sha Di Yi [Number One Under the Heavens]". No one noticed the dark frowns that lurked the faces of several of the representatives towards the back of the veranda.
Master Genzai rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and reached for the golden bowl. He froze at the sound a frightened squeal resounding in the air.
"OJII-CHAN [GRANDPA]!!!"
His head snapped up and met the terrified eyes of Suzume. His gaze then traveled to the glinting eyes of a clan representative who held a knife to her soft throat. A heavy cloak of silence muted all sounds save the harsh breath of the veranda's occupants. Master Genzai's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Let her go, Houji" he commanded, his kindly air disappearing completely to show exactly why he was head of one of the most powerful clans in China. The representative was hardly fazed. He shot back his ultimatum.
"Halt the ceremony permanently and I'll spare her life," he sneered. Master Genzai glared at him.
"This is something I have to do. I do not want to continue with this life," he explained, hard eyes boring holes into the representative from Shishio's clan.
"Then give us Arts to your sword and healing arts."
Master Genzai glanced at Suzume's pale face worriedly, but he answered without any hesitation.
"The Arts are to be buried with me. I never meant to even allow their existence in this age in the first place. These techniques will not do any good for the world should I allow them to spread."
Houji snarled and shot a look behind him. Suddenly, the participants of a happy occasion found themselves surrounded by red and black-clad archers and fighters with drawn swords.
"Hand over the Arts or we'll kill them all!" he growled. The archers nocked their lethally sharp arrows. The guests calmly huddled close together, with out letting a single sound. Mothers smiled weakly at their children as they tried to shield them from the arrow paths and husbands pushed their wives behind them. A strange tranquility could be discerned upon the white faces that looked to the master martial artist. Master Genzai closed his eyes in disgust and despair.
A sad heavy sigh escaped his lips and Master Genzai unrolled his sleeves slowly, almost regretfully. Houji narrowed his suspicious eyes and opened his mouth to warn his comrades.
He was too late.
Several dozen small lead balls flew out in a deadly ripple, each one skillfully cutting a beeline that missed innocents to end up striking the guilty. The circle of red and black clad figures fell simultaneously. The loud splash their bodies created on the green lake water around the veranda seemed to snap the taut thread of emotion that held everything together. Hysteria broke out.
"GET OUT OF HERE EVERYONE!" Master Genzai roared over the panic. Save for a few martial art masters and his students that decided to help, nobody needed to be told a second time. The mass of bodies pressed to the courtyard where the frontal exit of the mansion was placed, taking no heed to avoid Houji and his hostage. Elbows and knees jostled the representative as he cursed colorfully. Suzume had found a chance to slip away into the crowd.
Master Genzai and the remaining fighters ran airborne over heads as they fought off the reinforcements that arrived. Master Genzai furiously deflected arrows and swords with a sword that seemed to appear from nowhere, rips and tears soon decorating his silk robes, searching the crowds frantically for his granddaughters as well.
"Master Genzai!" Seijirou Hiko exclaimed as he landed near the elder man lightly upon his feet. He thrust the precious burdens he held into the Master's hands.
"Take Ayame and Suzume! Find Midori and leave this place!" Hiko yelled over the screeching clashes of angry metals as he blocked one attacker and spin-kicked another away from the group. He narrowed his eyes dangerously in annoyance and concern when the stout figure next to him remained, protecting his 2 granddaughters and fending off the overwhelmingly numbered malefactors surrounding him with surprising success.
"Baka oyagi [stupid old man]!" Hiko roared as he executed a circular slash that rendered 19 fighters prostrate on the pale courtyard stone. The underlings of the representative were smart; slowly, but surely, they put more and more space between the two masters of the fighting arts. But they weren't smart enough, their actions serving only to enrage Seijirou Hiko, the 13th Master of the Hiten Mitsuruugi Ryu even more. He violently cut his way through the barrier of bodies as though he were chopping down tender saplings to get to Master Genzai, his large white cape whipping about his figure like the aura of a wrathful deity.
"Get going!" Hiko bellowed as he pushed his old friend and his granddaughters from the main site of brawl. Master Genzai stubbornly jumped right back in, defiantly fighting by the 13th Master. Hiko angrily fought his way close to the elder man, blocking several attacks to Ayame and Suzume at the same time.
"I said go! You don't want them to get a hold of the map, do you? We can handle this, don't let yourself worry about something so meaningless as honor and not retreating from a battle! Your guardian responsibilities are more important than a couple injuries. If they get that begoddamned map, we're talking about thousands of lives perishing here!" Hiko hissed into Master Genzai's ear. Master Genzai turned to look at him worriedly, then nodded grimly.
"Thank you, Hiko, my old friend. Thank you."
With that, Master Genzai gathered his two granddaughters within his arms and jumped to the roofs of his mansion verandas. Hiko leaped away from the melee to a nearby tree with numerous sheltering leaves, his eyes sadly following the fading figure of his long time comrade. Sometimes he wished with all his heart that the Hiten Mitsuruugi Style didn't allow the user to predict upcoming events so clearly. Hiko lowered his head in a moment of respect, then jumped into the middle of the violence beneath him with a resounding cry of dedication.
"THIS IS FOR MASTER GENZAI!!!"
Master Genzai bounded along the long stretches of wavy green roofs, his concerned eyes scanning frantically for any shadow of his third granddaughter. His black-shoed feet were quick and sure as they found perfect footholds for the aging man and his granddaughters, one under each arm.
They remained eerily silent; the only sound within their straining ears was the tmp tmp of Master Genzai's nimble feet. He abruptly slid to a stop along the smooth ridge of the triangular rooftop in front of a deserted garden. Long seconds crawled by as the gray fighter narrowed his eyes in concentration upon his senses. Then he flipped through the air to land neatly in front the startled Houji, who was behind a tall decorative rock column in the garden.
"Let her go," the furious grandfather hissed softly. The representative's grip upon the pale Midori's front collar tightened as he regained his composure, a sly smirk appearing on his narrow face. He ignored Master Genzai's command, pulling Midori further from her grandfather.
"How nice of you to join us, Master Genzai," Houji purred smoothly. "Midori-chan and I were just having a nice discussion about her worth to you."
Master Genzai gently set Ayame and Suzume on their feet as he glared lethally sharp daggers at Houji. He drew his sword with a deft flick of his wrist, pointing the shining tip to the representative's nose.
"I'm not in the mood for tea time conversation. Release Midori and leave this place." His calm voice wavered not once as he gritted it out hatefully. Houji's smirk grew only wider.
"Very well…" he agreed, mockingly pondering the command. Then he roughly pushed Midori over to Master Genzai, who immediately forgot his blade and caught the trembling girl in his arms. She was pale and shaking, but her face was dry, a defiant glint in her overly bright eyes. Master Genzai smiled kindly at her, then embraced her with a great relief until she stopped shaking.
"Midori, I was so wo – " he cut off as he suddenly stiffened. All four in the group raised their heads slowly, eyes widening at the thick circle of fighters that surrounded them. Malicious grins decorated each face, bits of silver dancing upon them from the reflections of their bared swords.
"…but," Houji continued his sentence as he drew his own blade, "You either must escape us or hand over the Arts. I highly recommend surrendering them rather than making us take the map by force."
Master Genzai brought himself to his full height, his flaring ki allowing him to tower over his opponents. He kicked at his sword, flipping it skillfully back into his callused hands.
"Bring it on," he growled, an uncharacteristic smirk on the martial arts veteran's gentle face. The representative returned the smirk, the maliciousness tenfold. Then they all attacked.
Houji surged forth with his reinforcements, confident in their numbers. Master Genzai dashed towards them, holding his three granddaughters within his arms as well as the bared sword pointed at his opponents. His body was laying almost horizontal to the ground as he rushed for a low target upon his enemy. The representative grinned at the move; it put the Master at a horrible disadvantage in being bodily lower than his opponent.
"Ah!" Master Genzai suddenly leaped upward and over the surging wave of black. He dealt swift deadly kicks to the startled fighters towards the back, causing several of them to end up sprawled on the ground out cold.
But this was only a few compared to the countless numbers left. The remaining fighters quickly regrouped and circled Master Genzai as he landed. They all attacked as one without a chance for Master Genzai to draw breath. The heart of the battle had been initiated.
Master Genzai raised his sword, left and right, now almost frantically to block or occasionally slash when the advantage was right. He also held Ayame with his sword arm, his range of the blade limited to his wrist's flexibility. Since Master Genzai now had three, instead of two, little girls to juggle within his arms, he was forced to rely heavily on his legs. The actions of vaulting high into the air and doling out quick clean kicks was horribly taxing, as the Master fighter was one of the sword. Despite being well adept in all fighting styles, Master Genzai soon found his strength waning, panting heavily as his speed slowly leaked away from his tired body. Sweat flooded out from every pore, mixing with the fresh blood that trickled from all his wounds.
As a last resort, the tiring fighter jumped clear of his opponents into the air, throwing Midori high into the air so she landed on his back. The young girl caught on to his plan immediately, latching her arms around his neck loosely as he allowed gravity to pull the four back to the ground. Master Genzai allowed the spiraling momentum of their fall to take them into a deadly spin, his now free sword arm slashing out much like Hiko's had when he reached the gaping black and red clad figures below. Midori's feet followed her grandfather's flashing blade, channeling the excess energy into small but devastating attacks. Houji raised a thin eyebrow at the impromptu attacks, but a sly grin decorated his face.
"Impressive, but not good enough!" he leaped forward, plunging his sword deep into Master Genzai's gut, turning and forcing it further in. The victim only grunted in pain as he shook the predator off, Midori angrily repaying the representative with several stomps upon the face as well. Houji growled with annoyance and retaliated, a deft flick of his wrist creating a gaping wound that traced from Midori's pointed chin to her left ear as he dodged away from the grandfather's angry swing. The young girl screamed in pain.
Master Genzai staggered as he attempted to regain his full footing. He tried to stem the flow of blood from Midori's cheek with shaking hands. All the attackers retreated into a tight circle around the tired four, watching him as a coyote would a cornered mouse that will be his dinner.
Master Genzai lowered his head looking to the ground. He clutched an injury with white-knuckled hands near his chest. The silently sobbing Midori wrapped her small arms tighter around his neck as Ayame and Suzume buried their pale faces into their grandfather's chest. Each and every one was peppered with cuts and injuries.
"Surrender the map, Genzai. Surrender it now and we'll spare you and your granddaughters. You obviously can't win," Houji sneered regally, although the effect was highly reduced due to the red footprints and purplish swelling that made themselves know on his face. Master Genzai inhaled deeply, then exhaled with a heavy and sad sigh. His hand lifted away from his chest wound.
POOUFF!
A thick cloud of smoke appeared as Master Genzai suddenly threw something small upon the ground, reducing the entire group of black fighters to fits of chest shaking coughs. Houji blindly ran to where the Master had been, snarling in rage as he failed to find neither hair nor shadow of the four he was so sure he had cornered.
"GENZAI! YOU CAN RUN LIKE A COWARD, BUT WE'LL FIND YOU! THE ARTS WILL BE OURS!" the representative bellowed out to the air. But the ears that Houji's declaration was meant to reach were long out of hearing range.
"We'll…be safe…here…" Master Genzai whispered distantly as he collapsed from his run on the soft green grass of the clearing in the bamboo forest. Midori quickly grabbed some grass-like plants growing nearby a large gray stone, and applied them to her grandfather's wounds.
"Ojii-chan?" Ayame asked uncertainly as she positioned her grandfather's head on her lap in a more comfortable position. Suzume peered at Master Genzai worriedly as she stroked his arm, crystal tears forming quickly as the shock from all that had happened in the past hours dissolved. Master Genzai smiled weakly at them.
"I'll live, I just need some …rest," he assured them. But if they find us, I won't be able to take another fight like that…
"Midori," Master Genzai after long moments of worried silence.
"Hai," she replied with a formal bow of her head.
"You're the only one who can do this, so listen closely. Run down to the town following that path and find Misao-san. She'll find us help. Look for her in a run-down clinic towards the east side of the town. There'll be a sign that says 'Doctor Takano' on the door," Master Genzai quickly rattled to the attentive emerald-eyed girl. "Got it?"
Midori addressed him with another quick nod, then leapt to her feet and scuffed away down the worn dirt path. Master Genzai looked at Ayame and Suzume with another slightly stronger smile. He studied the clearing that they occupied, noticing the near invisible wooden markers of several graves almost immediately. Somehow, he felt no malicious energy here.
"It's so peaceful here…"
[1] – Can be loosely translated as a 'school' but I think the better word would be a clan. The kind of clan I'm talking about can include family members but more likely it's students. It can be just one teacher and one student, or can extend to an entire family like unit. There is one master in the fighting style, and perhaps his wife. The students board with the master, doing chores and errands to help support the clan. The master nurtures his students just like his own children, but still focused fully on martial arts.
Author Notes:
- When I say martial artists, I am referring to anyone that can practice any kind of fighting art: sword, fist, and all those other lovely weapons. In the era where my fic takes place, sword users can fight barehanded just as fist fighters can use all sorts of weapons.
- I'm not always 100% accurate in my information with the setting in ancient China so please forgive me for that. Most of my information comes from watching TV and studying how the movie people do things for that era.
- Wah! No Kenshin! But this a big part o the plot….soooooooooooooooo
Whew! Took me awhile to write this stupid chapter.