AN: Ok, this is annoying. I don't get any reviews! That isn't exactly encouraging, you know. Thanks once again to WhiteRabbit5, the only one who bothered to review on the last one! grrr.
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters. I do however own Katana.
Once a Manslayer, Always a ManslayerAs everyone was eating dinner, Katana couldn't help but feel a little bit uneasy. She hadn't seen Hajime for a while now. 'I wonder where he is.' Almost as if on que, there was a knock on the door.
"I'll get it!" Kaoru said, getting up. She left the room, and it was silent for a few moments. Then, the door opened, and none other than Hajime Saitou walked in.
"Katana, may I have a word?" he asked. Although she was confused, Katana nodded, and followed him out of the room. Once they were in a private room, Saitou turned to his sister.
"Hajime, what's-" she was cut off when Saitou threw a sword at her. She caught it, and examined it. It was a light weight sword. She unsheathed it. The metal was thin, but the blade was sharp. Katana gasped. 'My katana?' she thought in amazement.
Saitou looked at Katana. Her eyes were large, and looked innocent. But somewhere, under all of that, was the soul of a manslayer. He was going to go full out to pull out that side of her.
"How did you get this?" Katana asked, never removing her gaze from the sword.
"I have my ways, Katana." Katana looked at him. "Ten years, you have been quiet. You've changed, sister." Katana had a confused expression on her face. "You do whatever people say without fuss. The Katana I knew wouldn't ever do what people told her to. You don't even carry a weapon with you anymore. Even the Battousai still carries some sort of weapon, but you…you are weak, Katana." Katana's eyes narrowed for a brief moment. "But know this." He grabbed her arm and pulled up her sleeve. From her shoulder to her wrist, there was one long, ugly scar. "Scars never leave. A scar is a scar." He forced Katana to look him in the eyes. "A promise is a promise." Katana's eyes widened. "And a manslayer is a manslayer, until death."
He traced his fingers slowly up and down Katana's scar. She was shivering in pain, and fear. Memories were flashing through her eyes. The pain got worse with every trace of the scar, and Katana gritted her teeth. Saitou still kept stroking her scar with his fingers. The pain was still increasing.
Katana was paralyzed in fear and pain. She closed her eyes, just wanting the pain to stop.
"A scar is a scar. A promise is a promise. And a manslayer is a manslayer." He whispered in her ear. Katana's eyes shot open. She swiftly swung her sword, which was still in her hand. She was able to get a gash in Saitou's shoulder, but nothing more. He smirked. "If I hadn't moved, you would have chopped my arm off." He said with some sort of amusement in his voice. "Hm…Maybe you haven't gotten that soft."
Saitou got into his gatotsu stance. 'Oh shit.' Katana cursed to herself. He lunged forward, and Katana was able to dodge it, or so she thought. When she thought that she had escaped the blow, Saitou changed it into a side sweeping attack. He was able to get a large gash in her side, and she cried out in pain. Blood was dripping out of her rapidly. The door slid open, and Sano was standing in the doorway.
"Katana!" he shouted.
'Why is this so painful?' Katana thought to herself. 'I've dealt with pain much worse than this, and I have never screamed in battle before. Why?'
Her brother's words rang in her head.
You're weak, Katana.
She looked into her brother's eyes. "I…" she looked down at herself, and back up at Saitou. "I am weak." She said, realizing it for the first time. Saitou smirked.
"I'm glad to see that you at least still have a brain." He looked directly into her eyes. "Remember, a manslayer is a manslayer until death."
Everything started to spin, and Katana felt herself falling. She also felt herself being caught by two strong arms. After that, darkness.
Katana started to fall, but Sano caught her before she hit the ground. He glared at Saitou, who was exiting the room. He looked back at Katana. He picked her up and held her close to him. "I'll never let that happen to you again." He whispered to her.
All the while, Saitou was watching this. 'Hm…the idiot has feelings for her? Heh. That's interesting.' He turned around, and walked past Kenshin, but not before saying to him, "Once a manslayer, always a manslayer. Right, Battousai?" he smirked and left the dojo.
Ok, I realize that that was REALLY short, but that I just needed to type this down quick before it left my mind. Please review! It encourages my to writer more. Thanks!
