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Yay! I have a loyal fan!
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.
.
...Just hope they're still loyal after the big gap between chapters...(gulp)
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Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin
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Claimer: Plotline, Kutaboro Group, and Sakura Dancers belong to me!
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…
"YOU!" Juuga nearly screamed the word, making all the other fights on the grounds grind to a halt as the others tried to figure out what had just happened.
"Yes," Kaze replied calmly, "Me."
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.
"Um, Kaze…" Yukito spoke up from behind Kenshin, where she and the other Sakura Dancers were standing, "…How exactly do you know this man?"
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Kaze ignored her companion's question, instead sending a freezing glare right at Juuga. Her ice-cold rage was equally matched by his red-hot fury.
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.
"You've got a lot of nerve showing your face in my presence, girl," Juuga snarled.
"I'm only supposed to give you one chance to surrender and accept punishment," Kaze replied.
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.
"NO!" Juuga roared. "I finally have HIM in front of me, and I'm going to kill him!"
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.
Kenshin blinked when he realized that he was being wildly gestured at.
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.
.
"And when he's gone, you'll finally be as well - you accursed demon's spawn!"
"Do you always call yourself such things," Kaze wondered aloud, "Father?"
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"FATHER?!" Just about all the dojo defenders yelled in shock.
Utsuki was prevented from shouting by Yukito and Nadeshiko, who didn't want any repeats of her earlier screaming fit. And Kenshin was too speechless to say anything.
.
.
"Kaze is the daughter of this freaked-out nutcase?!"
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.
"THAT CREATURE WAS NEVER MY CHILD!" Juuga roared back at Yahiko.
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.
"Because the Battousai defeated a master of my family's invincible style, we were cursed with this THING instead of a child! But once I redeem our family name by destroying him, everything will return to normal," Juuga declared in a slightly more normal voice.
.
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.
"Father, once again you are raving," Kaze said with a shake of her head.
Kaze seemed to be the only one dealing with this even remotely well.
.
.
.
"You have mocked me by that title for the last time," Juuga said, his voice suddenly going quiet and sinister, "But when my elite warriors have finished with you…"
The four of the elite Kutaboro still up on their feet moved towards Kaze. She picked up her pole and waited for them to approach her. And Kenshin suddenly had the urge to back up, which he decided to obey.
.
.
.
.
A hidden seam popped open and a sheathed katana fell out of Kaze's pole. She tossed the pole aside and drew her sword. And Kenshin, who was close enough to see the sword perfectly, blinked. It wasn't a katana…or at least, it wasn't a katana anymore. The sharp edge had been beaten dull, and the dull edge had been crudely sharpened up.
.
.
.
It wasn't a Sakabatou at all…not like Arai Shaku's Sakabatou anyway…but it was close enough.
.
.
.
.
"You'll be wishing you had a real sword when we get through with you," the thugs growled as they continued to advance.
.
.
.
.
"Exactly what I was about to say," Kaze calmly replied, assuming a battle-ready stance.
It was the exact position that she had started her one-person dance from, in that demonstration all those nights ago.
.
.
.
.
The thugs lunged. One had a giant axe, and another had a pair of katana. The other two had various other weaponry, but they all moved with the experience of many battles. Kaze avoided their attacks, parried them, counterattacked them, and performed every single move flawlessly. It was exactly the same moves of her solo dance, speeded up and with a real sword.
.
.
.
.
And something that had been bothering Kenshin for the last four months finally fell into place.
.
.
.
.
The style that Kaze used - and that her father as well - was not a fighting style at all. It was a DANCE. Kenshin had never fought against a dancing sword style in his entire life before Kaze's father attacked him.
.
.
Their style had been undefeated for generations because like Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu, the dancer could control the pace of their battles. And like his own Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, the dancer danced to their own wickedly fast beat.
.
.
.
The intent of every other style Kenshin was familiar had been to kill - save Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu, of course - but in this style the goal was not death or even victory. The goal was merely to dance, with death being a just side-effect…a side-effect countered by altering a regular katana into a harmless reversed-bladed Sakabatou.
.
.
The cracking of bone corrected Kenshin's thought: it was an ALMOST harmless reverse-bladed Sakabatou.
.
.
.
And the four that Kaze fought had never stood even the slightest chance of victory. They were unconscious on the ground within minutes, and all that remained against her was her father.
"Who did you steal our style from, demon?" he demanded as he raised his katana.
.
.
.
.
"Grandmother instructed me," Kaze replied, still eerily calm. "As she instructed Mother…who taught the same rudiments that Grandfather knew to you."
Juuga attacked. And when he and his daughter fought, it was obvious which of them was a better dancer. Their battle was lightning-fast, and Juuga soon backed off, realizing his defeat was imminent within minutes.
.
.
.
.
That didn't stop him from suddenly flinging his katana right at Kenshin's head as hard as he possibly could. The sword shot through the air, a deadly metal arrow, and Kenshin barely had enough time to draw his Sakabatou in an attempt to block.
.
.
.
Battou-jutsu was fast enough that Kenshin's block was successful; unfortunately, when he blocked the blade, the hilt whipped around and impacted right between Kenshin's eyes with a sharp 'THWACK!' sound.
…
Yay! I have a loyal fan!
.
.
.
...Just hope they're still loyal after the big gap between chapters...(gulp)
.
.
.
.
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin
.
.
Claimer: Plotline, Kutaboro Group, and Sakura Dancers belong to me!
.
.
.
.
.
…
"YOU!" Juuga nearly screamed the word, making all the other fights on the grounds grind to a halt as the others tried to figure out what had just happened.
"Yes," Kaze replied calmly, "Me."
.
.
.
"Um, Kaze…" Yukito spoke up from behind Kenshin, where she and the other Sakura Dancers were standing, "…How exactly do you know this man?"
.
.
Kaze ignored her companion's question, instead sending a freezing glare right at Juuga. Her ice-cold rage was equally matched by his red-hot fury.
.
.
.
"You've got a lot of nerve showing your face in my presence, girl," Juuga snarled.
"I'm only supposed to give you one chance to surrender and accept punishment," Kaze replied.
.
.
.
"NO!" Juuga roared. "I finally have HIM in front of me, and I'm going to kill him!"
.
.
.
Kenshin blinked when he realized that he was being wildly gestured at.
.
.
.
"And when he's gone, you'll finally be as well - you accursed demon's spawn!"
"Do you always call yourself such things," Kaze wondered aloud, "Father?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"FATHER?!" Just about all the dojo defenders yelled in shock.
Utsuki was prevented from shouting by Yukito and Nadeshiko, who didn't want any repeats of her earlier screaming fit. And Kenshin was too speechless to say anything.
.
.
"Kaze is the daughter of this freaked-out nutcase?!"
.
.
"THAT CREATURE WAS NEVER MY CHILD!" Juuga roared back at Yahiko.
.
.
"Because the Battousai defeated a master of my family's invincible style, we were cursed with this THING instead of a child! But once I redeem our family name by destroying him, everything will return to normal," Juuga declared in a slightly more normal voice.
.
.
.
"Father, once again you are raving," Kaze said with a shake of her head.
Kaze seemed to be the only one dealing with this even remotely well.
.
.
.
"You have mocked me by that title for the last time," Juuga said, his voice suddenly going quiet and sinister, "But when my elite warriors have finished with you…"
The four of the elite Kutaboro still up on their feet moved towards Kaze. She picked up her pole and waited for them to approach her. And Kenshin suddenly had the urge to back up, which he decided to obey.
.
.
.
.
A hidden seam popped open and a sheathed katana fell out of Kaze's pole. She tossed the pole aside and drew her sword. And Kenshin, who was close enough to see the sword perfectly, blinked. It wasn't a katana…or at least, it wasn't a katana anymore. The sharp edge had been beaten dull, and the dull edge had been crudely sharpened up.
.
.
.
It wasn't a Sakabatou at all…not like Arai Shaku's Sakabatou anyway…but it was close enough.
.
.
.
.
"You'll be wishing you had a real sword when we get through with you," the thugs growled as they continued to advance.
.
.
.
.
"Exactly what I was about to say," Kaze calmly replied, assuming a battle-ready stance.
It was the exact position that she had started her one-person dance from, in that demonstration all those nights ago.
.
.
.
.
The thugs lunged. One had a giant axe, and another had a pair of katana. The other two had various other weaponry, but they all moved with the experience of many battles. Kaze avoided their attacks, parried them, counterattacked them, and performed every single move flawlessly. It was exactly the same moves of her solo dance, speeded up and with a real sword.
.
.
.
.
And something that had been bothering Kenshin for the last four months finally fell into place.
.
.
.
.
The style that Kaze used - and that her father as well - was not a fighting style at all. It was a DANCE. Kenshin had never fought against a dancing sword style in his entire life before Kaze's father attacked him.
.
.
Their style had been undefeated for generations because like Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu, the dancer could control the pace of their battles. And like his own Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, the dancer danced to their own wickedly fast beat.
.
.
.
The intent of every other style Kenshin was familiar had been to kill - save Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu, of course - but in this style the goal was not death or even victory. The goal was merely to dance, with death being a just side-effect…a side-effect countered by altering a regular katana into a harmless reversed-bladed Sakabatou.
.
.
The cracking of bone corrected Kenshin's thought: it was an ALMOST harmless reverse-bladed Sakabatou.
.
.
.
And the four that Kaze fought had never stood even the slightest chance of victory. They were unconscious on the ground within minutes, and all that remained against her was her father.
"Who did you steal our style from, demon?" he demanded as he raised his katana.
.
.
.
.
"Grandmother instructed me," Kaze replied, still eerily calm. "As she instructed Mother…who taught the same rudiments that Grandfather knew to you."
Juuga attacked. And when he and his daughter fought, it was obvious which of them was a better dancer. Their battle was lightning-fast, and Juuga soon backed off, realizing his defeat was imminent within minutes.
.
.
.
.
That didn't stop him from suddenly flinging his katana right at Kenshin's head as hard as he possibly could. The sword shot through the air, a deadly metal arrow, and Kenshin barely had enough time to draw his Sakabatou in an attempt to block.
.
.
.
Battou-jutsu was fast enough that Kenshin's block was successful; unfortunately, when he blocked the blade, the hilt whipped around and impacted right between Kenshin's eyes with a sharp 'THWACK!' sound.
…