A/N Wow, next chapter up next day! Wow! R and R please!
Things are heating up now!
Disclaimer: When I own it, I'll be sitting pretty in Tokyo, until then, students are like failed Yakuza, we have no money, so don't sue.
Chapter 2: Epicenter
Kenshin's face drained of all color. The red of his hair standing in stark relief to his pale skin.
"When de gozaru ka?" Kenshin asked breathlessly.
"Last night, it hit Tokyo. We must stop it now, before it is too late!" Yamagata said insistently, hand clenched in a fist. "Himura! We need you to stop this! You cannot ignore it any further! You're ideal world cannot be achieved yet!"
Kenshin's eyes were downcast, hair framing his face from view. "I know. I had only hoped that they would stop."
"Kenshin..." Sano breathed. Kaoru looked on confused, the boys in the dojo dead silent at the tension in the air.
"Himura, you must come through on your promise. You must use your skills for the Meiji era once more!" Yamagata reached out and grabbed Kenshin's shoulders, shaking the smaller man harshly. "Himura! We need you to bring in the new age!" Kenshin tensed under his hands, eyes flashing at the implication. "We need your sword to once more rein down Heaven's Justice on- "
"DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" Kenshin yelled, breaking away from Yamagata's grasp, eyes blazing amber in fury, promising destruction to his enemies.
"Himura-" Yamagata began
"No!" Kenshin roared, eyes roaring with amber fire, "I won't let you use me again! Never again!"
A pissed Kenshin. Now that is definitely not something you see every day, and it was damn scary.
"Himura!" Yamagata slapped Kenshin across the face. Kenshin's head snapped up in shock, the others in the courtyard stopped dead in shock. "We never used you! Your sword brought in the new age!"
Kenshin's eyes blazed with new fury, "What new age! Those people died, and for what!? This era!"
"Yes Himura." Yamagata said calmly, trying to sooth the angry assassin, "for the era where children can play in the street and wars and murder are headlines in their rarity not common occurrence."
Kenshin glared at the man and turned sharply away. "Find someone else to go your dirty work. My hands are far too stained to be of any use to a new age."
"You're wrong." Yamagata said calmly, "Kenshin!" he yelled to get the swordsman attention. Kenshin turned at the mention of his name. "Take these." Kenshin glared at the bundle held in Yamagata's arms. A navy gi, gray hakama and a true bladed katana. "Think about it, please Kenshin!" Kenshin glared and spun away, stalking toward the courtyard.
Yamagata sighed and placed the bundle down at the door. Turning to Kaoru and Sanosuke, he sighed. "Talk to him, this will cause a war if he doesn't help us."
"You bastard!" Sano roared, "you can't ask him to-"
"We'll talk to him." Kaoru cut in, "But not to force him to kill." Yamagata looked at Kaoru with new respect, she was stronger than she seemed. "Please leave Yamagata-san."
Yamagata looked once more toward the tense figure in the courtyard before turning to his carriage. The dojo door closed behind him.
Sano reached out a hand towards Kenshin, "Oi, Kenshin!" He said softly. Kenshin pushed past him but Sano grabbed his wrist. "Damnit Kenshin!"
Kenshin spun and delivered a swift kick to Sano's side. Shocked and winded, Sano released the swordsman.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru breathed. Yahiko just gaped. "Ryo, Hiro, Nobu, Ran." She said tersely, "go home for today."
"Yes ma'am." The said as they scrambled for the exit, happy to leave the tension behind.
"Damn you Kenshin." Sano said hoarsely, he never had thought the swordsman would have such a strong kick!
"Leave me alone, Sano." Kenshin said sternly.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru began. Kenshin raised a hand in her direction, "No Kaoru! Be quiet!" He commanded.
This was not the gentle Rurouni standing before them, this was the fierce warrior once called Hitokiri Battousai. Eyes of cold amber, manners of a rock and nature enough to silence the loudest mouth in town. Body strung with tension, Kenshin whipped out his sword and leapt straight into the advanced forms of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu.
All the others could do was watch as Kenshin raced through the forms of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu with an almost insane ferocity.
'This is Battousai..' Kaoru thought, 'has he always been there, hiding behind a smile?'
Kenshin spun around the courtyard, throwing out Ryuu Sho Sen in rapid succession. Moving around like a red demon, never halting.
'Damn, Damn, damn!' Yahiko thought, 'Kenshin's scary like this, almost like the demon in the stories.'
Kenshin roared out his rage as he soared into the sky and slammed down into a Ryu Tsui Sen. The ground exploded with dust and was quickly spun away by a furious Kuzu Ryu Sen.
'Kenshin....' Sano thought sadly, 'Why won't you tell us what's going on? You always help us out, save us from harm, so why can't we help you?'
Kenshin's mind was in chaos as he raced through the moves with brutal speed and masochistic succession. 'I can't kill again! I can't!'
You must
'I can't!'
It's the only way
'No! There has to be another way! Killing is not the answer!'
What has not killing gotten you? Kaoru in danger, Yahiko captured, Shishio plaguing Japan!
'No no no! Shut up Battousai! I won't listen to you anymore!'
And Sano! You claim to care about him and you didn't even kill Saitou when he almost killed him and left him to bleed on the floor!
'No!'
Yes
'There has to be another way!'
Kenshin's moves became erratic. He was simply hurling himself around the courtyard in a mockery of control, his mind in chaos.
There is no other way
Kaoru, Yahiko and Sano watched with morbid fascination as there laundry doing, playful friend whirled around in the torment of his mind.
'No...'
Look at them! They're afraid, afraid of you, and afraid of what will come
'Afraid?'
Will you condemn them to death for your pathetic oath?
'Death? No!'
Then do it! Stop the war before its too late!
Kenshin came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the courtyard, chest heaving from his exertion. His friends quickly rushed up to him, stopping at the insane look in his eyes. Kenshin straightened and looked them in the eye. His face was open, his eyes tinged with violet, his scarred and battered soul on his display.
"Kenshin...." Sano breathed, quickly moving to embrace the smaller man, lifting him off his feet to forestall any further exertion.
"There's no other way..." Kenshin said softly into Sano chest, "But why?"
"Kenshin?" Sano said concerned.
"Battousai is right, it must be done, for the future."
TBC...
Coming soon: Chapter 3: The Return of Battousai!
Reviews make the speed muse happy!
Rei: Speed good....
WoF: -_-6 Okaay......
Things are heating up now!
Disclaimer: When I own it, I'll be sitting pretty in Tokyo, until then, students are like failed Yakuza, we have no money, so don't sue.
Chapter 2: Epicenter
Kenshin's face drained of all color. The red of his hair standing in stark relief to his pale skin.
"When de gozaru ka?" Kenshin asked breathlessly.
"Last night, it hit Tokyo. We must stop it now, before it is too late!" Yamagata said insistently, hand clenched in a fist. "Himura! We need you to stop this! You cannot ignore it any further! You're ideal world cannot be achieved yet!"
Kenshin's eyes were downcast, hair framing his face from view. "I know. I had only hoped that they would stop."
"Kenshin..." Sano breathed. Kaoru looked on confused, the boys in the dojo dead silent at the tension in the air.
"Himura, you must come through on your promise. You must use your skills for the Meiji era once more!" Yamagata reached out and grabbed Kenshin's shoulders, shaking the smaller man harshly. "Himura! We need you to bring in the new age!" Kenshin tensed under his hands, eyes flashing at the implication. "We need your sword to once more rein down Heaven's Justice on- "
"DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" Kenshin yelled, breaking away from Yamagata's grasp, eyes blazing amber in fury, promising destruction to his enemies.
"Himura-" Yamagata began
"No!" Kenshin roared, eyes roaring with amber fire, "I won't let you use me again! Never again!"
A pissed Kenshin. Now that is definitely not something you see every day, and it was damn scary.
"Himura!" Yamagata slapped Kenshin across the face. Kenshin's head snapped up in shock, the others in the courtyard stopped dead in shock. "We never used you! Your sword brought in the new age!"
Kenshin's eyes blazed with new fury, "What new age! Those people died, and for what!? This era!"
"Yes Himura." Yamagata said calmly, trying to sooth the angry assassin, "for the era where children can play in the street and wars and murder are headlines in their rarity not common occurrence."
Kenshin glared at the man and turned sharply away. "Find someone else to go your dirty work. My hands are far too stained to be of any use to a new age."
"You're wrong." Yamagata said calmly, "Kenshin!" he yelled to get the swordsman attention. Kenshin turned at the mention of his name. "Take these." Kenshin glared at the bundle held in Yamagata's arms. A navy gi, gray hakama and a true bladed katana. "Think about it, please Kenshin!" Kenshin glared and spun away, stalking toward the courtyard.
Yamagata sighed and placed the bundle down at the door. Turning to Kaoru and Sanosuke, he sighed. "Talk to him, this will cause a war if he doesn't help us."
"You bastard!" Sano roared, "you can't ask him to-"
"We'll talk to him." Kaoru cut in, "But not to force him to kill." Yamagata looked at Kaoru with new respect, she was stronger than she seemed. "Please leave Yamagata-san."
Yamagata looked once more toward the tense figure in the courtyard before turning to his carriage. The dojo door closed behind him.
Sano reached out a hand towards Kenshin, "Oi, Kenshin!" He said softly. Kenshin pushed past him but Sano grabbed his wrist. "Damnit Kenshin!"
Kenshin spun and delivered a swift kick to Sano's side. Shocked and winded, Sano released the swordsman.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru breathed. Yahiko just gaped. "Ryo, Hiro, Nobu, Ran." She said tersely, "go home for today."
"Yes ma'am." The said as they scrambled for the exit, happy to leave the tension behind.
"Damn you Kenshin." Sano said hoarsely, he never had thought the swordsman would have such a strong kick!
"Leave me alone, Sano." Kenshin said sternly.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru began. Kenshin raised a hand in her direction, "No Kaoru! Be quiet!" He commanded.
This was not the gentle Rurouni standing before them, this was the fierce warrior once called Hitokiri Battousai. Eyes of cold amber, manners of a rock and nature enough to silence the loudest mouth in town. Body strung with tension, Kenshin whipped out his sword and leapt straight into the advanced forms of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu.
All the others could do was watch as Kenshin raced through the forms of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu with an almost insane ferocity.
'This is Battousai..' Kaoru thought, 'has he always been there, hiding behind a smile?'
Kenshin spun around the courtyard, throwing out Ryuu Sho Sen in rapid succession. Moving around like a red demon, never halting.
'Damn, Damn, damn!' Yahiko thought, 'Kenshin's scary like this, almost like the demon in the stories.'
Kenshin roared out his rage as he soared into the sky and slammed down into a Ryu Tsui Sen. The ground exploded with dust and was quickly spun away by a furious Kuzu Ryu Sen.
'Kenshin....' Sano thought sadly, 'Why won't you tell us what's going on? You always help us out, save us from harm, so why can't we help you?'
Kenshin's mind was in chaos as he raced through the moves with brutal speed and masochistic succession. 'I can't kill again! I can't!'
You must
'I can't!'
It's the only way
'No! There has to be another way! Killing is not the answer!'
What has not killing gotten you? Kaoru in danger, Yahiko captured, Shishio plaguing Japan!
'No no no! Shut up Battousai! I won't listen to you anymore!'
And Sano! You claim to care about him and you didn't even kill Saitou when he almost killed him and left him to bleed on the floor!
'No!'
Yes
'There has to be another way!'
Kenshin's moves became erratic. He was simply hurling himself around the courtyard in a mockery of control, his mind in chaos.
There is no other way
Kaoru, Yahiko and Sano watched with morbid fascination as there laundry doing, playful friend whirled around in the torment of his mind.
'No...'
Look at them! They're afraid, afraid of you, and afraid of what will come
'Afraid?'
Will you condemn them to death for your pathetic oath?
'Death? No!'
Then do it! Stop the war before its too late!
Kenshin came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the courtyard, chest heaving from his exertion. His friends quickly rushed up to him, stopping at the insane look in his eyes. Kenshin straightened and looked them in the eye. His face was open, his eyes tinged with violet, his scarred and battered soul on his display.
"Kenshin...." Sano breathed, quickly moving to embrace the smaller man, lifting him off his feet to forestall any further exertion.
"There's no other way..." Kenshin said softly into Sano chest, "But why?"
"Kenshin?" Sano said concerned.
"Battousai is right, it must be done, for the future."
TBC...
Coming soon: Chapter 3: The Return of Battousai!
Reviews make the speed muse happy!
Rei: Speed good....
WoF: -_-6 Okaay......