Everything Purple
violetjewelz

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters associated with the great manga/anime. Wish I did, though ...

Chapter 7: Edo River

Kaoru unzipped her duffel, took out a water bottle and unscrewed the cap. Even though it wasn't ice cold, the water was very satisfying. She grabbed a piece of bread from inside her bag and chewed on that. 'Not as good as French bread, but good nonetheless,' Kaoru commented, taking another bite of the bread.

So far, Kaoru hadn't been very successful on her mission to kill the manslayer. Heck, she hadn't even found him yet. Hiko told her that he would most likely be at the banks of the Edo River, but so far she hadn't reached that river yet. She concluded that she was probably twenty minutes away, thirty at the max, though she wasn't entirely sure.

Placing the bread and water back into her bag, she grabbed the duffel bag by it's handles and continued walking west, towards the river.

Kaoru could feel the moisture from the river even before she could see it. Sensing the moisture lifted Kaoru's hopes and she sprinted towards the scent of water.

She was rewarded with the sight of the river. Though it wasn't as beautiful as the waterfall, she was happier now than when she had seen that. She knew that she was one step closer to her goal. Hopefully.

Kaoru hadn't expected to see the Battousai right as she reached the river since the Edo River was pretty big in size. Not comparable to the Nile or the Amazon, of course, but still quite long. So, stopping just to wash her face and to make herself feel refreshed, she was already strolling down the bank of the river.

Kaoru was getting pretty tired. Perhaps the Edo River was longer than she had thought. Or maybe she was just so tired from walking for so long. Either way, she still hadn't found the Battousai. 'He's probably already gone,' she guessed. 'Who can spend over a day sitting on a riverbank?'

Brushing aside bangs that had fallen out of her ponytail, she decided to make her walk or stroll or whatever more enjoyable by skipping and singing along the way.

She quickly realized exactly how she and the Battousai met and she abruptly slowed down and closed her mouth. Even if she hadn't seen anybody for hours it didn't mean that something couldn't appear right in front of her and cause her to trip or fall. She had definitely learned her lesson the first time. The Battousai was one that could easily teach someone a lesson, including her.

Her plan to avenge Hajami's death and kill the legendary manslayer was rash, she had to admit that, and now she was beginning to doubt her abilities. If Hajami couldn't kill him, then how could she? She played soccer, tennis, football, basketball, and softball and ran cross country and track, but that didn't necessarily make her buff and able to kill someone. And even if she had the physical ability to kill, did she have the mental ability? She wasn't an assassin whom killing came natural to. Come to think of it, Kaoru couldn't even kill a spider, let alone a human being!

She had to try, though. Yes, she had to try at least. 'Even if I can't kill him, maybe seriously wounding him will cause him to retire from the job of an assassin,' Kaoru cursed to herself in response to her thought. "Fuck that! Hell would freeze over first."

Kaoru ceased her thoughts and glanced up from the ground where she had been looking while she had been thinking.

Seeing red, she halted in her tracks. About a fourth of a mile ahead of her was the Battousai. Her instincts told her to turn back before she got into a bad predicament with the manslayer, but her goal pushed her forward. Her feet lightly stepped in front of each other, barely making a sound as she approached the Battousai.

She was still about ten yards from the swordsman, but she saw him stand up, as if knowing that she was where she was. She continued to walk and she could make out his deep voice when she closed the gap between them to five yards. "I must say, I wasn't expecting this."

Before she could speak, he began again. "To think that you're actually going to try and kill me is crazy. Insane, really. But still somewhat admirable."

"Well at least I know where you get your arrogance from," Kaoru stated, knowing this would confuse the Battousai at least a little.

Kaoru was right and the man looked at her. "And just what do you mean by that?"

"Oh just the fact that Hiko is just as arrogant as you. You did live with him for awhile and trained with him, so it was bound to happen that some of his cockiness would rub off on to you."

"Why are you not afraid of me?"

"Why should I be?" She then closed the gap between them even more so that she could reach out and touch him if she so wished. "You're just a mortal man, Himura Kenshin."

With god-like speed, he grabbed her wrist and twisted it back painfully. "Fuck!!" she cussed. "Goddamnit, Battousai! That hurt like hell!!" she cursed loudly in his face.

The Battousai leered at Kaoru, unremorseful. "You only deserved it." The manslayer's gaze hardened and he seized her other wrist holding it in a tight grip. "How do you know my name, wench?"

"Hmph! I refuse to answer that when you call me by such a derogatory name!"

Battousai flicked his wrist which in turn caused Kaoru to spin and fall onto the hard, green grass. He bent down and whispered into her ear, "I'll call you whatever I want. Got it, bitch?"

In less than a second, Kaoru was standing upright and she kicked the Battousai hard in the stomach so that he was now the one on the ground. "Don't you fuckin' call me a bitch, asshole." She then looked down at her Hurley tank. "Damn! I got grass stains on this!" She glared at the swordsman who had now regained his position and was standing as tall as he could. "This wasn't even on sale!! $20 down the drain all because of YOU!!"

"If you don't want any more of your clothes ruined, I suggest you tell me how the hell you know my name!" the arrogant man threatened.

"I still don't see why I have to answer you. Ever heard of freedom of speech?" Kaoru realized her words and corrected herself. "Or rather freedom of non-speech. Wait," Kaoru thought aloud, "Is that even a word?"

Kaoru was pinned to the ground before she could even process that thought any further. "There's no such thing in the world today; not now, not ever."

"Obviously you've never heard of my country, America the Beautiful." At this, Kaoru began to belt out one of her favorite patriotic songs, nationalism pumping through her veins.

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!

America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!

America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control --

"Shut the fuck up, whore! I'm fuckin' losing my self-control here!"

"No duh, Einstein." Kaoru then tried to make her voice a little more menacing. "And I am not a whore!"

"Well then what do you call a girl who strips? You were all over me the other night."

Kaoru blanched and made to clear things up. "That was called acting. I'm still cherry and I'm no slut, so don't go assuming things that aren't true!" Kaoru's face then brightened as she realized that the Battousai had said the word "self-control" right after she had sung it. "Hey! You just said self-control and I had just sang that word! What a coincidence."

"I don't see what's so great about that. To think something as a coincidence only shows your optimism and denseness," the manslayer reasoned.

Kaoru crossed her arms. "Oh, really. And why is that?"

"Because when you live your life with an appreciation of coincidences and their meanings, you connect with the underlying field of infinite possibilities," Battousai explained.

"Wow! You sound just like the Dalai Lama or something, though his quotes are inspirational and you're aren't. But still, I don't see how looking at the glass as half-full instead of half-empty is a bad thing."

"Everyone knows that the basis of optimism is sheer and complete terror."

"And your rationalization to that is--" she prodded.

"You're so scared and worried of the future that you resort to becoming an optimist. The whole point of living and becoming an optimist is to be foolish enough to believe that the best is yet to come."

Kaoru shook her head, annoyed with the pessimist in front of her. "Listen to me." After knowing that she had his attention, she continued, "In the long run the pessimist may be proven right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip. And it's true that it's not the end of the journey that matters, but the journey itself. So, if we have fun on the journey and we have fun during life, then who cares if we're wrong? That's why children are so happy. They don't care if they're politically correct or anything that doesn't matter such as that. They just want to play and have fun and there is nothing, NOTHING wrong with that."

"For kids that's true and that's only expected. But adults should face the facts and succumb to the truth. Only immature adolescents cannot seem to do that."

Kaoru heaved a sigh of exasperation and she plopped her bottom down onto the ground. She started humming a song to herself, trying to keep herself happy and not depressed at her circumstances.

There's a dark and a troubled side of life
There's a bright, and's a sunny side, too
Tho' we meet with the darkness and strife
The sunny side we also may view

Keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side,
Keep on the sunny side of life
It will help us ev'ry day, it will brighten all the way
If we'll keep on the sunny side of life

Tho' the storm and its fury rage today,
Crushing hopes that we cherish so dear;
The clouds and storms will, in time, pass away
And the sun again will shine bright and clear.

Keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side,
Keep on the sunny side of life
It will help us ev'ry day, it will brighten all the way
If we'll keep on the sunny side of life

"That was such a great movie, 'Oh Brother Where Art Thou?'!"

"Never heard of it."

"Heard of the Odyssey?"

"Of course. Written by Homer."

"Yeah, it's a parody of that. Unlike the Odyssey, though, it's actually entertaining."

"I never read the Odyssey."

"Can you even read?"

The Battousai's eyes flashed momentarily and he glared at her. "Just because my job doesn't require me to be literate doesn't mean I'm not."

Kaoru put up her hands in self-defense from the harshness of his voice. "Sorry! All I know is that in the olden days not many people could read or write."

"This isn't the 'olden days.' It's the present."

"For you, maybe. I, however, live in the year 2004. Or I did, at least. Until I came here."

"Shit, you are crazy!"

"Excuse me, but it's only the truth. Hmmm..." Kaoru tried to think of something that would make the man believe her. "What's the date today?"

"July 2nd."

"Okay..." Kaoru then got an idea. She whispered, "Thanks, Mr. Kraft for teaching me all this Civil War stuff." She then piped up and looked at the Battousai. "Tomorrow, on July 3rd, or in the US, July 2nd, in West Virginia, there will be another battle in the US Civil War. I believe it was in Berkeley County. The Union was led by Patterson and the Confederacy Jackson. Not Stonewall, though. There were about ... 115 casualties? Maybe a little more. The Union lost like 25 and the Confederates about 90 or so. Obviously the victory went to the Union." She paused from her little declaration. "See! We learned about the Civil War in History class. I got an 'A' on my test, too!" Kaoru then held up a peace sign and winked an eye. "Score!"

The Battousai didn't believe her for a second. "You do know that you could just be making that up."

"I could, but I'm not. Just wait for Hoke's Run to end. That's what the battle was called."

"Fine. But I won't find out until a few days from now."

"Fine."

"So pick up your bag and let's go."

Kaoru was puzzled and she expressed it. "What? Why?"

Battousai looked at her and simply stated, "Because you're coming with me."

"Why?" she asked again.

"Because I want to see if you are from the future. And, if you're not with me when I find out the result of this battle of yours, then I can't either kill you for lying to me or whatever else I want to do."

Kaoru snorted in annoyance. "Oh and what makes you think I'll come willingly?"

"If you don't, I'll kill you right now."

Even though Kaoru was planning on killing the pompous man in front of her and maybe dying then, she thought to herself that it would be a waste to die right here, right now. "Hijo de puta," she muttered in Spanish, which she was fluent in.

"What was that?" The Battousai's ears could pick up almost anything.

"It's Spanish for bastard or son of a bitch. And you're both."

"I get that a lot."

"Gee, I wonder why," she drawled, sarcastically as she picked up her back and followed after the manslayer who had started to walk away.

"Can't we rest yet?!!!" Kaoru complained loudly, dragging her duffel bag, exhausted from walking for five hours straight.

"Stop complaining, wench!" the Battousai yelled back in return.

"Don't call me wench!!"

He swivelled on the balls of his feet and glared at her. "I won't call you wench if you tell me how you know my real name."

Kaoru stuck out her tongue at him. "You're still on about that?" At a nod from the Battousai, she finally answered, "Hiko told me. That's all. Sheesh! He sure did love sake, though. Why is that?"

At this, the manslayer suprisingly chuckled deeply. "He's still the same, eh? Is he still as cocksure and egotistical now?

"Probably. But not as bad as you are."

He ignored this comment. Kaoru spoke up again. "He also called you his 'idiot apprentice.' Once he said that, I took somewhat of a liking towards him. Somewhat."

"He's still calling me that?" the Battousai rolled his eyes and laughed lightly.

Kaoru peered suspiciously at the manslayer. "Why are you so ..."

"So what?"

"I don't know? In touch with your emotions? Humane?"

The assassin's smile was replaced with a frown. He grabbed Kaoru by the neck and lifted her up into the air, her feet dangling in the air. "I am not humane. I'm an assassin. We assassins are cold-hearted and cruel."

Kaoru was released and she sat on the ground where she had fallen like she had hours before. "Not true; you're not that bad."

"What makes you think that?"

"If you were so cruel and heartless, you would have killed me or raped me or something."

In just a few seconds, Kaoru was up against a tree, its rough bark digging sharply into her soft skin. "If you would like me to rape you then I could do that. I'm sure I'd enjoy it."

"If I wanted you to rape me, then it would be consensual and so therefore it wouldn't be rape." Kaoru then tried to get away from the Battousai. "And you say your 'sure' you'd enjoy it. Does that mean your cherry as well?"

"No. I've fucked many before."

"Oh..."

"And then I kill them right after I'm done with them."

"Hiko was right then." She then pushed her hands hard into his chest, once again trying to get away from him. This only resulted in him grinding himself against her, the bark becoming even more uncomfortable and painful. "Look, I don't want to have sex with you, so get away!"

"I never asked you if you wanted to do it. I'm not asking for your permission. I don't have to."

"You fucking bastard!" she cursed as she squirmed against the tree. "You do know the consequences of rape, don't you?"

"In this time, there are none."

"WHAT!?"

"Yeah, there are no consequences. I can rape as many women as I want to."

"H-how many women h-have you r-"

"None. They all put out by themselves." After stating this, he abruptly ripped off her shirt. He reached out for her bra, but she slapped his hand away. Angrily, he pinned both of her wrists above her head. Kaoru noted frightfully that his eyes were now molten amber.

In lust, the now crazed demon-like man tore off her bra, leaving her top fully exposed. Kaoru whimpered, fearing what would happen next. "Please," she murmured tearfully, "Please stop."

The Battousai could smell the salt in Kaoru's tears and he lifted his head. He brought his hand to her eyes and wiped them away. "Don't cry, wench."

"Y-you said you wouldn't call me that, Kenshin."

At the mention of his old name, the assassin was brought back to his human senses. He let go of her wrists and stepped back from her. "My name's not Kenshin. At least not anymore."

Happy just to be out of the Battousai's clutches, she nodded in acknowledgment, trying her best to cover her body with her torn clothing. "Yes, Battousai." She flinched at her submissiveness. She acted just like what she said the women of this old era did.

"Good," he said. "Now pick up your bag, we still have a ways to go."

"Yes, Battousai," she repeated, still afraid of the man who walked on ahead of her. She shuddered as she grabbed her bag and continued after him.

Author's Notes: Ack! Sorry guys, I know I took really long. I don't think many people will hate me, though, because less and less people seem to be reviewing so I guess less and less people are reading. Am I getting worse with each chapter I write? Please inform me if I am so I can get writing lessons or something. Nah! I'm just joking! I have an 'A' in English. That must count for something, right? No writing lessons for me! Only voice lessons. Speaking of voice, I have a rehearsal tomorrow and a recital Sunday, so sadly, I still don't have a free weekend! I haven't had a free weekend for like two months. -cries-

Battousai got a little hot n' heavy in this chapter, but I knew that some of you didn't want a lemon and I feel that I needed to update soon or I would lose some readers and so I'll add the lemon chapter later when I have time to write two versions (one lemony and one not). I decided that the lemon won't be rape. If all of you want it to be, I suppose I can manage it, but I don't think that you would want it.

Review Responses:

scythe195: Thanks for the compliment! Sorry that I took so long to update!!

LykaChan: Yeah, I was thinking that having Kaoru being only in a bra and panties overdoing it a little, but I decided for it anyways. About her dance/strip to "Naughty Girl", I've never really been to a trip club (seeing as how I'm underage), so I'm not sure what a girl does during a strip. I've never seen the music video to it either so I don't know how Beyonce danced to it, either. Is it bad enough so that I should revise it? Oh, and having Kaoru make the second slash on Battousai's cheek I liked as well. I thought it would be somewhat neat to have her actually make it and I'm glad that you liked it! At first, I wasn't going to make a brother-sister relationship with Kaoru and Hajami, but it kind of turned out that way, so I just decided to use it. I appreciate the long review!! I LOVE long reviews! LOL!!

The evil witch: I'm glad you thought it was hilarious! I always thought Hiko and his sake-loving ways were funny!

Bloody Akiko Nagi the Insane: No problem!! I don't think the Battousai will ever be too mushy. Maybe at the end somewhat romantic and of course loving, but a little rough at loving someone since it's a first for him. Thanks for reviewing again! I also look forward to a review from you!

kaoru gal: Don't worry - you're not a lazy ass (not that I can tell at least). I'm too lazy to login at times as well! Thanks for once again reviewing! Can't wait to read your review to this chapter! :-P

kenshin's-angel: YAY! I'm so glad that you thought Hiko was funny. I needed some comic relief to the depressing happenings of Kaoru. That wasn't really my rationalization behind that scene, I just felt like having her meet Hiko! No thought behind it at all. I don't tend to really think about things which tends to get me in trouble. But you know what? I don't care!! LMAO!

KenKao4Eva: That would be quite hilarious if Kaoru DID say that! I'm laughing from picturing that right now! :-P I take all suggestions seriously. Some I might realize ten seconds later that they're stupid and ignore them, but I don't find many suggestions stupid. I'm glad people suggest things for my story! Congrats on being the first reviewer! Wanna try again this chapter? :-)

- violetjewelz