A/N:
Second to last chapter is done! I'm so proud! I'm almost done! YAY! Thanks for all the great reviews!! I really appreciate it! Hopefully it will all be worth it when I am finished.
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Chapter 11 – Flames of Sorrow
It had been well over a half hour since the battle began, yet the scarlet swordsman showed no sign of weakening. He had reduced their numbers significantly. Thirty men lay dead, scattered about the bamboo thicket, the ground soaked with their blood. Still they kept coming, and still the single swordsman fought them off. Battousai gritted his teeth as one of his opponents sliced at his shoulder, another catching his thigh. Pain was nothing to him. These mongrels were nothing to him. Soon they would all be dead, and their threat would vanish as quickly they came.
Battousai swung his sword to the right, taking down three men at once, two more as he came around a second time. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of Shiro Tsuki, galloping through the hordes of raving wolves, white teeth bared, almost growling in a horrendous torrent of whinnies and snorts. The swordsman had no need to worry about the white horse, for he was trained for such situations, and would not die off easily.
The scarlet swordsman kept fighting, unaware that a tempest was brewing only a few miles away. Cutting down men left and right, soon he found himself nearly alone on the battlefield, only a few still standing, most hiding in the foliage, planning their next move. Battousai stood ready, waiting for them to strike again, his sword bloody and gleaming in the moonlight.
Suddenly, the luminous orb turned crimson, bathing the forest in a scarlet radiance, a deathly frightening aura plaguing his heart. He looked up to the sky and noticed a strange black cloud looming in the distance, smoldering with an amber glare. Smoke! A huge cloud of sulfur and ash, climbing high into the atmosphere, emanating from the Matsu estate! Flashes of burning fire, flickering embers, the heat of destruction, struck his heart, leaving him aghast. Shock overcame him, and in that instant, he failed to notice an arrow screaming through the night.
The point missed his head by inches, but grazed his cheek, slicing open another wound through the one that had already been inflicted. The force of the blow, knocked the wind out of him, his head was thrown backward, his body reeling. Landing on the ground, he arched his back, writhing in pain, his eyes wide and wild, pulsing with amber fire and shock. A scream broke the silence, coming from the edge of the clearing. Flipping himself over, Battousai saw the arrow fly toward the white horse, which was standing upon his hind legs, striking at the swordsmen who were trying to capture him. Horrified, he saw the arrow land squarely in the horse's chest, piercing his very heart. Tsuki paused in mid-air, eyes wide with fury, and screamed like a demon into the night. Battousai watched as the great, warhorse fell onto his side, his thick blood soaking the earth, his labored breathing fading into the darkness.
The swordsman gasped as he saw Tsuki lying there, dying, anger flaming in his heart, consuming his mind and his soul. Clenching his fist on the hilt of his sword, he rose to his feet, blood pouring from his fresh wounds and let out a horrible cry of anguish and rage.
They will pay for their insolence, their cowardice; their terrible evil shall be demolished! How dare they destroy everything I hold dear! How dare they raise one finger against my heart! My soul! They shall feel my unsheathed sword! They shall die screaming the name Battousai!
Eyes flashing with an inhuman glare, he rushed into the thicket, not waiting for them to strike first, catching each and every last Shinsengumi off guard, and ending their lives before they had any chance to retaliate.
Within moments, every swordsman, archer, horse and foot soldier lay dead. Only one remained alive. Battousai stood trembling, his face, haori and sword drenched in blood, his hands trembling, harsh gasps hissing through his teeth. The air reeked of death. So many men massacred by the hand of only one, however, the scarlet swordsman had no time to praise himself over his victory. The fate of his only love was hanging in the balance. Ignoring the pain in his limbs and face, the bloody swordsman rushed off through the forest, heading for the Matsu estate, hoping and praying that his love would be there waiting for him...alive.
Unable to enter the hellish place, he cried out her name, over and over into the roaring inferno, only to receive silence as to any human reply. His heart felt it would tear asunder, as he kept calling her name, drowning in the sorrow that flooded his being at hearing nothing but the growl of the fire. Clenching his fists, he threw them against the stonewalls, again and again until they stung and bled profusely. He ground his teeth until his mouth turned crimson, crying out in agony at his great loss, his body aching, trembling with despair. Tears flowed from his eyes, the first river of sadness to befall him since his childhood days. The years of battle had hardened him, but nothing could hold back the terrible sorrow he endured at that very moment.
"How could I have let this happen?" he gasped, lips quivering. "How could I? I thought you were safe...I thought no harm would come to you...what a fool I have been! What a cursed man I have become! I am to be cursed and sent to an early grave for letting my love die at the hands of my enemies!"
Battousai snarled in anger and drew his wakizashi; languidly turning it's fanged tip toward his heart. He paused for a moment and contemplated his brashness. Looking down at the silvery edge, he thought back to the night where, in desperation and bravery, the young raven-haired maid had taken hold of that very weapon and fought off an army. It contained her spirit, her soul, and her love.
Do not forget me... he heard her beautiful voice echo from beyond. Promise that you'll never forget me.
Battousai lowered the sword and returned it to its sheath. He could not raise his sword against himself, for she would not have wished him such a fate. How could he remember her if he lay dead in his grave? No... She would have wished him to live on, to remember her kindness and courage for the rest of his days, until he would finally join her and never leave her side. Battousai rose to his feet and glanced back once more at the ruins.
"I will never forget..." Battousai returned to the bamboo thicket, and came to the side of the white horse. Tsuki lay dead where he had fallen. The light was gone from his sapphire eyes, his sides peacefully still, the long stormy mane drenched in blood that still flowed from the arrow lodged in his heart. The scarlet swordsman kneeled down beside the great head and placed a hand on the smooth white jaw. It was still warm. His death occurred perhaps moments after he had rushed off.
Pain shot through his neck from the wicked lash across his left cheek and he reached for a cloth. Digging into his sleeve, he brought out a piece of stained silk, but paused before pressing it to his face. It was the gift he had received from Toshiki to treat his wound after the battle with Kokkaido. He remembered her smooth hands and her even smoother lips brushing against his for a single moment. Though she was gone, her love for him still lingered in the tattered rag he held in his hands. He drew the cloth from his bleeding gash and his eyes widened at a cross-shape stain on the smooth silk.
Eyes shaded under his bangs, he realized that he would forever be scarred with this memory, not only on his face, but also upon his heart. All who would meet him or know him would too discern of the tragedy within his soul, with only a passing glance. The light faded from his eyes, dulled with sadness, as he raised a finger and with his life-blood, drew a mark upon the horse's flank, a crescent moon. He then tied the cloth around Tsuki's back left leg, so that whomever discovered this massacre and the ill-fated white steed, would know of his loss as well.
With a solemn heart, Battousai rose and turned toward the horizon. The glowing sun peeked over the mountaintops, sending rays of warm light across his battle-lashed body. Round and bright with joy, the morning sang to him a glorious song of rebirth, but he did not hear it. His heart had sunk into a sadness that could not be comforted, a pain that could not be remedied, and a scar that could not be healed. The face of the young girl he could not save was engraved in his soul forever, and the heartrending story would always follow after. Sighing heavily, he let one last tear roll down his wounded cheek. As it dripped off his jaw and hit the ground, the sorrowful ping of a flute echoed through the bamboo, and the song of the cherry blossoms rang in his ears; Her presence was there...forever haunting him in his memory.
"Goodbye, Toshiki..." he whispered, and walked toward the mountains. He never looked back.
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A/N:
Teaser for you. The last chapter is entitled: DEATH OF BATTOUSAI! Hope that keeps you in suspense. Ciao