Author's Notes: hey hey! Wassup you guys? Sry about the seriousness of the last chapter's author's notes and disclaimer, but I had ta set the tone for a pretty serious chapter!
Furthermore, I'm really glad that you guys liked it, cuz I wrote it when I was having writer's block! It didn't turn out like I wanted it to, but I posted it anyways, and I'm glad you guys liked it!!
Lol, I thought it was really funni how everyone had a reason why they weren't reviewing, and don't worry guys, no hard feelings! All those reasons you guys gave me were things that have happened to me. My computer's definitely crashed once or twice (or three times...), and I've gotten a new computer before and setting it up is hard! Also, I go out of town w/o telling anyone a lot too... o.O Oh, and homework continuously bothers me, but I try my best to keep a steady pace w/ my stories.
Seems like all of ya'll were in the mood for conversation, and don't worry, I luv a good conversation!! Ehehehe, if any of you wanna e-mail me for kicks, just drop me an e-mail and I'd luv to talk. Or IM me at: chrryblssm16. ahahahaha...
Oh, fair warning to you, there are gonna be serious spoilers for the Samurai X OVA series. So, if you're one of those people who hate spoilers, I'd advise you not to read on... but you're not a true Rurouni Kenshin fan if you haven't seen the OVA series... (and besides, you should've seen this coming, I mean, I'm dealing w/ Kenshin's past here!)
Oh, and speaking of memories, in case you guys haven't caught on, all flashbacks/memories/dreams end and start with tildas. just making sure...
Sheesh, I'm rambling, I should shut up. But before I let you guys read, I'd like to thank all of those who have reviewed, and I hope that you will enjoy what's to come!
Disclaimer: "disclaimer"
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chap. 9 remembering
"It's a good thing I brought an umbrella, Aoshi-sama!" she piped, "The rain seems to have finally come down!"
"Hn."
"Would you like some more tea? It's getting awfully cold," Misao requested helpfully.
"No, I'm fine."
Misao sighed, she could never get more than a couple of words out of Aoshi-sama. It was frustrating, but she knew he meant no offense. Sometimes she felt like shaking him roughly by the shoulders and screaming in his face to wake up and quit blaming himself for everything. After all, it wasn't his fault that... But no matter how she would or could put it, Aoshi-sama continued to blame himself for the death of the Obiwanan. She was basically the only member left. She didn't even hear the story from Aoshi-sama's lips; she had pestered and nagged Kenshin until he reluctantly gave up and told her what he knew. She gave up her deep train of thought as she turned to stare at Aoshi, 'I wish he would open up more...'
Misao was about to comment on the late hour, but before she could open her mouth to say the words, Aoshi slowly opened his eyes and stated monotonously, "Something has happened to Himura."
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----- Blazing orange and red seared the sky as if it were burning. Red that smeared like the blood of the many that died in the Tokugawa Era. An age of revolution and uprising. The sun was a bright yellow, so bright, that it dulled, a mellow color that barely lit the earth. Shadows flung and swayed, the wind barely a whisper.
A boy stood in the middle of the all this chaos and terror. His small figure had but a tiny shadow as he stood amongst the graves that he had dug. Hand-tied wooden crosses were staked into the ground, marking the resting place of an innocent life, or a wandering soul. In the center, stood three rocks, side by side, and uneven, clearly damaged by the erosion of previous years.
A man walked among these graves, observing what a small boy had done, for bandits and victims alike. He had buried the dead, no matter whom the person. His long shadow reflected behind him as he walked up to the boy, "I see you have dug graves for your family as well as the bandits. Both for the victims and killers."
The boy had a respectable aura that glowed, and his face remained expressionless as he responded, "They were not my family. My parents died in a cholera epidemic, and these people were going to sell me into slavery. But yet, they helped me, they screamed, saying, 'Save the child,' and so, I wanted to make their graves special. But all I could find were these rocks."
"Hn... What is your name boy?"
"Shinta."
"Shinta... That isn't a name suitable for a swordsman. From now on, your name is Kenshin."
"Kenshin..." -----
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Kenshin's eyes shot open, breathing heavily. He found himself laying in a futon, covered in blankets, and his wounds all bandaged. Was...it all a dream?"Yo! Kenshin! You awake?" The fusuma slid open, and Sano stepped in, food and hot tea at hand, "I don't know what happened last night, here you are, comin' home bleeding a river of blood, and then you pass out! We got Megumi over here to treat your wounds and she says your wounds were made by a sword. What kind of trouble could you possibly get yourself into?"
Kenshin could only stare into his teacup, watching the ripples form and diminish as it reached the edges, "I couldn't save him Sano. I couldn't even save myself."
Sano looked at Kenshin as though he were mad, "Who?"
Kenshin did not respond directly to Sano's statement, but instead elaborated, "Last night... Wolf was knocked out and taken by a stranger, so I followed them. The man that kidnapped Wolf was named Gensou Katsukawa... He claimed that I am the Hitokiri Battousai..."
"Assasin?"
"Yes... I didn't believe him...but then... A...a sort of memory came to me... It was real Sano, I know it was. I remembered how it was like to kill...I-I felt the blood on my hands, I felt the swords in my hands... And then I knew...he wasn't lying." Kenshin sighed and closed his eyes, trying to numb the pain, wanting to make the pain that made his heart tear, go away. But he knew...that it wouldn't, couldn't go away.
Sanosuke was speechless, wordless, astounded, shocked, to hear these words come out of Kenshin's mouth. He observed his troubled friend through concerned eyes, wondering what more there was to Kenshin that he didn't know about...that even Kenshin didn't know about.
They sat in silence, not knowing what to say, not knowing what to think, not knowing what to do next. Or what was to come. Kenshin had not taken one sip of his tea, or one bite of his food, and didn't intend to do so for the day being. Suddenly, the paper door opened, and Aoshi stood there, wet to the bone, drenched in the fresh water that still continued to waterfall down onto the earth. Gasping, Misao skidded to a halt behind him, panting from the run she had to maintain in order to catch up with Aoshi-sama. After he had mumbled something about something wrong with Himura, he had blown out the candle in the temple, and without warning, he hurried over to the dojo in a brisk walk. This was the most emotion Aoshi- sama had expressed in quite awhile, and even now, he still held the same expressionless glint in his eyes.
"Don't go doing something naive Himura," Aoshi stated, clearly tuned into what was happening, still standing by the open fusuma.
Kenshin didn't bother to question how Aoshi knew, instead, he gradually opened his eyes, void filling his eyes that spread through his whole body. Kenshin was clearly struck hard by the recent events that had happened. The group ignored the wind that howled outside, only anticipating the next words that would escape Kenshin's lips.
Kenshin continued to stare at nothing as he spoke, "I won't. But...I am going to find Wolf. It's the least I can do." With that, Kenshin stood, and walked out of the room.
"Oi, Kenshin, where do you think you're going?" Sano asked to Kenshin's back.
"For a walk."
"But...it's raining!" Sano protested.
"It doesn't matter. Nothing matters."
The fusuma slid shut.
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"He's not going to go after Wolf himself, is he?" Sano asked no one in particular.
Aoshi sighed and removed his damp trenchcoat in one fluid motion, revealing the Kodachi tied around his waist, "No, he's too devastated at the moment. He'll be in his own shell for awhile, and probably avoid everybody, especially Kaoru."
Misao took Aoshi's trenchcoat into her arms to dry it out, her face thoroughly confused with the current situation, "Somebody want to clue me in? What's wrong with Himura?"
"Is Kenshin alright? Did something happen?" Everyone swiveled around to find Kaoru standing in the room, who remained uninformed.
The two men turned their backs on Kaoru, ignoring her pleading question, figuring that it was better for her to hear it straight from Kenshin himself. Aoshi reached for the porcelein teapot, and poured himself a cup of steaming tea, "He'll be fine."
"Don't worry Kaoru, I don't know what's happening either," Misao said assuringly, "I'm sure we'll find out later."
Kaoru bit her lip, not entirely content with the answers she was getting. Something was wrong with Kenshin; the constant tug in her heart kept telling her so.
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He wasn't exactly sure where he was walking to, nor did he bother to stop to find out. Step by step he kept walking, foot by foot, inch by inch, his feet carrying him to where ever they wanted him to go. He soon found himself in the same clearing he was in just a few hours ago.
Hitokiri Battousai....
The name whispered in the howling wind, screamed in the thudding rain.
Assassin...
The life he had been living was a lie. All of it.
Murderer...
He didn't even know all of what he did. He didn't know how many others he killed, he didn't know for how long. He only had bits and pieces of his memory, not sure how much more there was left.
Manslayer...
He lifted his head up to the heavens, letting the rain pour down his cheeks and neck. He sighed, his mind flooded with thoughts, very much like the water that flooded Tokyo's banks. He shouldn't be this selfish. It wasn't fair to the others that he was worrying them, especially Kaoru. No, this wasn't the time to waste on selfish thoughts when Wolf was probably suffering.
Kenshin vowed he would find Wolf, and bring him back safely. But...
Was he really doing this for Wolf?
Or doing it just to clear his guilty conscience?
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The world was black. He blinked slowly, and his vision was blurry as he regained consciousness. He groaned, and sat up as he lay his blonde head in his hands, waiting for the pounding in his head to stop. Still dizzy, he gazed upwards, and saw an all too familiar room suround him. He was back to where it all started...why did he even think he could escape by running away?
A black shadow was visible through the thin paper door, and the figure of Gensou Katsukawa appeared as the door opened. He smirked, and looked at the now-conscious Wolf straight in the eye, "You can't get away boy." Wolf felt a shiver travel up his back, and his body stiffin as Gensou continued, "Fortunately for you, I will not harm you...no, you are too valuable for that. Just give me what I want..."
Wolf plucked up as much courage as he could and despite the fact he was trembling in fear on the inside, he firmly replied, "No."
Gensou only smiled maliciously, and said, "No? I see...but there is time to play games boy, and I am patient. How fortunate I was to meet the Battousai. Tell me boy, how is it you, a careless idiot, was able to run into such a legend as the Battousai?"
Wolf didn't reply, and only gave Gensou a spiteful glare, in which Gensou laughed at.
"I know what you are thinking boy. The Battousai won't come for you, and if he comes, he comes to fight me. But perhaps he won't know where to begin to look, ne? I suppose we'll have to give him a hint." Gensou paused at these words, the entire plan forming in his mind in an instant.
Gensou licked his lips, as if savoring the taste of sweet victory already, "Hiroji!"
Hiroji appeared in an instant, his thin, brown hair sticking out from underneath his mask, in which he wore at all times to cover the deformed face he had been born with. However, his face didn't stop him from becoming a master at throwing knives and darts, his aim precise. And so far, he had never missed. Not one. And he didn't plan on missing anytime soon. Wolf could only make out the outline of Hiroji's shadow through the fusuma as he responded to Gensou's call, "Yes sir?"
"The Battousai resides at the Kamiya Dojo in Tokyo. Do not harm him, he is my opponent. In fact, do not let him know you are there. All I want you to do is give him a hint to where to start looking for the boy. He is the bait. I want you to follow him, make sure he is on the right track, but do not make it so easy. Throw in some obstacles, throw in some red herrings for a nice twist, just to make the game a little more interesting... Report back to me whenever you can," Gensou finished thoughtfully, then reaffirmed, "I trust you can do this with no mistakes?"
Hiroji nodded, then was gone.
Gensou turned to Wolf, and said quietly, "The Battousai is nobody's friend."
Wolf watched Gensou leave, shutting the fusuma, knowing perfectly well that Wolf would not attempt to run away again. There were armed guards at every entrance, corner, and window.
'No, the Battousai is nobody's friend...' Wolf thought, 'but Kenshin is.'
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There was no sun that morning. It was just cloudy gray skies as far as the eye could see. The heavy rain had lightened to a light drizzle, but water still came down on the earth, nonetheless. Kenshin woke by the windowsill, for he had refused to sleep with Kaoru in their futon, despite everybody's objections. He didn't deserve the luxury.
Kenshin was up far earlier than anyone would be, with the exception of Aoshi, and so Kaoru was still sleeping soundly, her chest rising up and down in a steady beat with every breath. After he had come home to the dojo after last night's "walk," she had persistantly asked what was wrong...and he told her. Her reaction was unlike anything Kenshin had imagined, she had smiled...smiled and said that she didn't care. But how could she not care? How could she keep loving the heartless killer he was?
But yet...he couldn't face her. He couldn't face anyone until he was finished facing himself.
He sighed, and mindlessly stood up. But as he lifted his hand to open the fusuma, he felt warm, thick liquid on his left cheek. He furrowed his eyebrows as he put his fingers to his cheek, lightly brushing some of it onto his fingers. Blood. The vertical scar on his cheek was bleeding. But it had not bled since...
...
----- "I cannot die..." a man kept mumbling, blood was splattered all over, his blood, "It cannot be my time to die...I will not die!"
He charged at Kenshin, who had a calm, monotonous expression on his face. Kenshin struck him down in one blow, his eyes growing wide at the cut the man had made on his left cheek. A stubborn opponent. He smeared the blood on his face with his index and middle finger as he watched the man lay on his stomach, reaching out for a small, pink flower on the ground, attempting to hold on to what little life he had left, "I do not want to die... Not yet...not now.... Do not let me die..." And in his mind's eye, he saw his childhood sweetheart, holding up a pot of fresh flowers, smiling in the sunlight, "Tomoe..."
His last words, for Kenshin stabbed his sword through the man's throat, ending his life there and then. His cheek continued to trickle blood in small drips.
They say that if a wound is made by someone with a strong hatred, that wound will not heal until revenge is obtained. -----
There was a flash of light, and it was over just as it had begun.
Another memory.
Kenshin tried to focus and saw that the ground below him was seemingly slanted, an inclined plane that made his position staggered and tipsy, almost dream-like. He saw the world in two's, and the nausea in his head made him almost want to throw-up. He touched his hand to his cheek, still feeling the sticky blood on his face and fingers. Gasping, he made his way outside to the washing tub to wash away the blood, but however, even as the water cleared away the old blood, it seemed only to make room for the new stream that bled down his face like a river.
So instead, he held a damp cloth to his cheek, deciding that the bleeding would have to stop sometime...but...
Why had it even started?
Something told him that the person he had killed that night was of some importance to his life. The death of that man...had helped make him who Kenshin was today... But yet, the name of the man still escaped him, and the woman's name he was calling out...was familiar...
So he had taken another life...and there were probably more to come. He wasn't given the title Hitokiri Battousai for the two deaths Kenshin knew so far... No man was given the title HItokiri unless he was truly a formidable swordsman.
Another death.
His headache faded away, but soon melted away into depression, eating at his heart and soul.
A loud thud brought Kenshin to reality as he felt something whisk past his head, barely missing; grazing and cutting a few red hairs, which dreamily floated to the ground. He shook away his thoughts and walked up to the small dart that was now indented in a wooden support of the dojo. Kenshin saw that a piece of paper was rolled up and attached to it, and he lifted his hands to remove it.
Slowly unraveling the thin, fragile paper, he read the message written on it:
"Screams of terror rang,
And will ring again.
Blood of old wounds
Will spill again.
Steel will petrify
Flesh.
The past will become
The present.
And the flames of
Hell
Will burn.
In the land
Where the Manslayer reigned.
Come get your pup."
It was like a riddle, Kenshin thought, reading through it again and again, trying to get a sense of what it was saying. There was no doubt that Gensou or one of his men wrote it and sent it, for at the bottom of the piece of paper was the Chinese character for "illusion" enscribed in red ink. Only logical since Gensou was the Japanese word for illusion. The entire message was written in beautiful script, and the irony of it made Kenshin wonder who had really written it.
Kenshin knew that the person who had thrown the dart wouldn't have stayed long enough to watch him read it, and so he decided to try to sort it out. The riddle had to have one definate message, and he was sure there was more to it, but he would have to find it out later...
"Pup"...that had to be Wolf. Gensou was toying with Kenshin, like a human dangling a mouse in front of a cat and then jerking it away as soon as it almost had its prize. He was daring Kenshin to save Wolf.
"In the land where the Manslayer reigned"...the Manslayer was no doubt himself...
In the land where he reigned?
He put the thought aside for a short second as he remembered his bleeding scar. The cloth that he held up to his scar was soaked in blood and he lowered it, staring at the fresh, red blood that stained it. Where had he spilt blood? He closed his eyes in an attempt to remember...he didn't want to, but he needed to remember...for Wolf.
Visions flashed before his closed eyes, familiar buildings and homes forming in his mind. Streets, markets, and shops that belonged to only one place in the world.
Kyoto.
Wolf was in Kyoto. And something was going to happen in Kyoto. Something big. Kenshin didn't know what, but he knew Gensou was brewing something. Something bloody.
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