Disclaimer: I have 100 yen so I don't die in Japan. However, no RK bodyguards which is what I really need!
A/N: This update is coming to you—tadaa! In the morning. That never happens. Also, according to some people, fanfiction is no longer allowing people to reply to their reviewers. That makes me sad, but I'll abide. (I have a petition against it, leave your e-mail and I'll send it to you!) You know I love you guys! Thank you for all the incredibly motivating reviews for last chapter, that really made me happy. Also, I broke three hundred, which in my eyes is super amazing. Thanks to Anithene for being number 300!
Tanoshimu!
Chapter 21
Kenshin: Purity and Chaos
-
Kaoru watched through the spy-hole as Kenshin effortlessly flipped out his sakabattou, deflecting Enizu's initial attack. This wasn't like their first battle, in which Enizu had surprised Kenshin by turning on him, claiming his rights to revenge. This time Kenshin fought on his own accord, to end the fear that Enizu had induced on their lives.
Kenshin continued to parry and thrust against Enizu's attacks, slipping easily into a rhythm of footwork and sword strokes. It was almost beautiful to watch, but to Kaoru it was also concerning. So definite were his blows, so fluent were his movements in the way he lunged forward offensively, deflecting blows and landing strikes so confidently. There were only two other occasions on which Kaoru had seen Kenshin fight like this. Once, long ago, Kaoru remembered him facing off to Jinei, their fighting just a flurry of swords to her. And again, when he had fought Saitou in Kaoru's very dojo.
Both times he had won, but both times he had reverted towards his killing tendencies, becoming Hitokiri Battousai in his own mind. And so, seeing him fight so flawlessly again, Kaoru worried. Was it because of an impatience to win the fight? Or something more…could it have been because of Kenshin's own personal feelings towards Enizu, because of his knowledge of how Enizu treated Naruku? Was there something almost—murderous about how Kenshin was feeling at that moment?
Kaoru didn't know, but with each swing of his sword, she feared that he was, once again, getting closer to the manslayer inside. As much as seeing him like that scared her, it awed her as well.
"This is…" she felt Yahiko gasp next to her ear. "Amazing…"
Kaoru jumped and cast a fearful glance around at the others. All of them had their gazes glued to Kenshin in the other room. It really was amazing. Kenshin was getting in twice as many hits as he should have, blocking all the attacks that came his way. He had never been more ready to take the offensive.
"This is how he fought back then," Sano muttered. "That is how he fought Saitou…how he fought in the Bakamatsu…Kenshin, what is going on in your head?"
At that moment, Kenshin jumped in the air, evading an attack by Enizu's sword. Turning his jump into a flip, Kenshin descended upon his enemy with brutal speed, again missing Enizu's sword and instead landing his own blow on Enizu's back.
Kaoru couldn't take it any more. "Kenshin!" she cried, knowing it was a futile endeavor. If someone didn't stop them soon…they would be fighting to the death. And the only one who could stop them at that moment was Naruku. But she was curled up on the floor, clutching at her sides as if holding herself together. Her eyes stared darkly at the fight in front of her, but she did not call out, did not try to stop it.
"Kenshin," Kaoru cried again, but this time her voice was soft, only a whimper.
Clang! The sakabatou met with Enizu's katana, deflecting yet another one of Enizu's attacks. It seemed like Enizu was no match for Kenshin, but neither was backing down. Sano had always said that Kenshin's methods of fighting were a pain-in-the-neck. That did not seem to be so this time, he seemed ready to attack, ready to get the fight over with no words of reconciliation for Enizu's soul. Kaoru worried what this meant for Kenshin's own psyche.
"Amakakeru ryu no Hirameki," Aoshi muttered under his breath. He had remained silent since the fight had begun, amidst Yahiko's gasps of awe, Kaoru and Megumi's worrying and Sano's confusion.
"What?" Kaoru tore her eyes from the spy-hole and glanced up at Aoshi. He seemed to be on the verge of understanding, moving his lips silently as he worked something out.
"Kaoru-san, did I ever tell you about my fight with Himura at Shishio's lair?" Aoshi questioned.
"No…" Kaoru replied, thinking it wasn't the time for a story like that.
"I wanted to defeat Himura Battousai, but he wouldn't become that for me. He told me he would defeat me with his full strength—as Himura Kenshin. He said he had learned a way to draw full power without becoming the Hitokiri Battousai," Aoshi said, speaking solely to Kaoru as if she was the one in desperate need of this information.
"So what are you saying?" Yahiko spoke up, now tearing his vision away from Kenshin's fight.
"This 'way to draw full power' was a battou-jutsu attack called Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. The final technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi style," Aoshi continued.
Kaoru nodded, still not quite catching on. "I know, he told me, but what does that have to do with…this? He told me the outcome of the final technique was up to purity of heart…how does that have anything to do with how he's fighting now? He looks like he did when he fought Saitou—like he's back in the Bakamatsu and it's kill or be killed! That isn't the Kenshin, pure of heart, that I know!"
Aoshi shook his head. Seeing Kaoru reduced to near-tears made him sad, which made him angry, which then in turn made him impatient. "You aren't watching him. Watch. Look at him. Look at his eyes."
Without a word, Kaoru turned back to her spy-hole, almost afraid of what she would see there.
Maybe it was all those memories of Kyoto rushing back, or something that Aoshi had said, but suddenly Kaoru was not afraid anymore. Kenshin was fighting in the same way, aggressively, every sword stroke definite and complete in its responsibility.
But as he nimbly deflected Enizu's blow, Kaoru caught a second's look into his eyes, at his face. He was wearing a confident and determined look, the usual expression he had while fighting. What was unusual about his face were his eyes. They were not flat, cold amber like Kaoru had feared, and neither were they the pinned, steely blue she was so used to seeing. No, Kenshin's eyes were the same clear amethyst she saw every day, a light in it that reflected what was almost a smile.
Kenshin did not look ready to revert back to his Battousai frame of mind. In fact, he looked as far away from the Battousai appearance as he did while doing laundry at the dojo.
"What, Shinomori, are you saying that…that Kenshin's using the principle of the final technique and applying it to every one of his movements?" Sano asked, the curiosity and pride both apparent in his voice.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Aoshi replied blandly. "Kaoru-san said Kenshin told her that what was important was 'purity of heart.' It remains true. He is able to use full power and also remain his true self because he is so focused on his goal."
"His goal…?" Kaoru echoed.
Sano then spoke up again. "I think I know what he means," he said suddenly. "Kenshin is completely centered on one thing—and it isn't Enizu or his own anger towards him. Right now there is nothing on his mind other than Naruku. He swings his sword not to fight Enizu, but to protect Naruku. In another case, that concentration could lead him to opening the Hitokiri mindset, thinking that he would do anything to protect her. However…now, it seems that Kenshin has come to full grip with the situation and knows exactly what it is he needs to do for her. There is not one dark thought about what Enizu deserves for doing this to Naruku, the only thing on his mind is Naruku herself. And that gives him the ability to use full strength without using the strength of Hitokiri Battousai."
Purity of heart…it did make sense. It wasn't like when Kenshin fought Jinei and had been so enraged at the bloodlust Jinei had shown. Neither was it similar to when he fought Saitou, caught up in an age-old rivalry. This was a personal battle, yes, but a battle fought entirely for someone else, and not out of anger or rivalry.
"So then—this fight could be over in just minutes!" Yahiko put in excitedly. "There's no way Enizu can—"
Yahiko went silent for a tense moment as the five of them watched Kenshin shoot forward at Enizu, executing the Kuzuryusen attack.
-
"Hiten Mitsurugi—Kuzuryusen!" Kenshin cried as he launched himself at Enizu, performing the attack flawlessly. Every target was hit perfectly, and just like the attack promised, Enizu was given no time to evade it.
Kenshin landed crouching on the other side of Enizu after finishing the attack. He hoped it would be enough to render Enizu defeated—once and for all.
But something told Kenshin differently.
"Very good Battousai—I'm very impressed," Enizu sneered from behind him.
Kenshin turned, recovering from a moment of shock. "You're still standing," he said to Enizu.
Enizu flashed a wicked grin. "I guess I am," he said. "You didn't think a little thing like that would be able to bring me down, now did you?"
-
Through the spy-holes on the side of the wall, Kaoru's blue eyes widened at Enizu's response to the Kuzuryusen.
"How can…how can that be?" she wailed. "Kenshin hit him—every mark, perfectly!"
On her right, Sano seemed twice as surprised. "He didn't dodge it—he didn't block it…how could he have simply resisted it? He should be on the floor!"
"This has nothing to do with skill if that's what you're thinking," Megumi said. "Well, not skill with a sword. Enizu must have spent all these months just working his way back from deterioration to full strength in order to fight Ken-san again. But based on the event of their last fight, 'full strength' was not good enough. Like any determined man, Enizu wanted to become even stronger; to improve on what was already there. Somehow he's conditioned his body to resist even the strongest of attacks."
"What do you mean? No matter how well Kenshin fights, he won't be able to beat Enizu?" Sano asked doubtfully. "That can't be possible."
"I'm not saying it's impossible for Ken-san to beat him," Megumi snapped. "In fact, I have full faith in him. It's just that I don't believe Ken-san has ever faced anyone who used sheer stamina. He may make a mistake," she said grimly.
"A mistake?" Yahiko sounded even more skeptical.
Kaoru cottoned on to Megumi's theory quickly. "He may do something predictable, or something risky. We don't know the extent of Enizu's resistance, and he may be able to turn the power of Kenshin's attacks back on him."
"He seems to be doing just fine," Yahiko replied stubbornly.
Indeed, Kenshin had come back at Enizu with a series of attacks that were both lightning-fast and fiercely strong. But it seemed that no matter how many times Enizu was struck, he did not weaken.
-
And all the while this was going on, Naruku lay in the middle of the floor, her white furisode and her brick red locks spread out around her. Her eyes were squeezed closed, the most inexplicable images surfacing in her mind.
Naruku raised her pale a stoic face to the window where the morning sunlight filtered through.Sometime during the night a kimono had been laid outfor her. Part of her wanted to refuse to wear it, the other part realized such petty resistance was futile. It wouldn't help her understand why. Why he was doing this, why he was trying to control her…why Kenshin hadn't come for her yet.
How she longed to see his face, touch the frayed fabric of his clothing, feel his breath against her hair.
Instead of trying to hold onto this whisper of a fantasy, Naruku closed her eyes and slipped the white furisode over her bare body, hating the weight of the material, the constricting obi, how it smelled like everything smelled in that horrible castle—of blood and of him.
After much difficulty and swearing, Naruku finally tied to obi securely around her. Moments later, Enizu would come in, decorating her and slipping pretty combs in her hair, violating her with his eyes.
For now, though…Naruku grasped the elongated object in the folds of her obi, feeling secure and in control. But only for a moment.
Naruku's eyes flickered open as she felt the fight drift towards her. Kenshin had landed a firm strike on Enizu's broad shoulders, only to be forced back by his own attack. He skidded to a halt on the floor of the ballroom, positioning his sword beside him as he ran at Enizu once again, his disposition leaving no room for failure.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryushousen!"
The sakabatou connected with the underside of Enizu's chin, forcing Enizu to arc backwards and up into the air as Kenshin executed the attack.
Kenshin relinquished his sword and landed on his feet, knees bent. He had been forced further backward than he should have. Another problem was that Enizu had not fallen.
Kenshin had been using Ryushousen since he was a teenager—surely it wasn't imperfect? But Enizu merely grinned and jerked his head to the side, cracking his neck. He raised his sword and held it parallel to the ground, pointing at Kenshin.
"You will finally feel the pain you deserve," he said slowly, a sinister grin spreading on his face.
Kenshin showed no reaction to his words, no hardened stare or even the faintest falter in his stance. Without a word he flicked his sword once, twice before sliding it easily into the sheath. Kenshin knew it was time to unleash the attack that could not be resisted, not even by Enizu. It was an attack that never failed him—could never fail him.
Now right alongside their fight, Naruku stared in shock at what was about to unfold.
"Are you about to show me the final technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi?" Enizu asked, an ominous curiosity in his voice. "I'm honored."
Hiten Mitsurugi…final technique? Naruku gasped. She had never seen Kenshin so focused, so ready to win. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the skirt of her kimono tight in her fists.
There was a loud clack and a bang from the other side of the ballroom, but it was not enough to break either man's concentration. It was enough to tear Naruku's gaze away from their fight, and shift her eyes to the source of the noise.
Two black-haired heads bobbed out from underneath one of the floorboards. It was Soujiro, hoisting himself up through a trapdoor in the floor. Beside him, Naruku knew, was Misao, scrambling through the trapdoor as well. That was all she saw before she was jerked up from her spot on the floor, dragged along into the turmoil of the fight.
-
The left, he's swerving in from the left, Kenshin thought as Enizu made his move, almost disappearing from sight as he moved toward Kenshin in the blink of an eye. Hand at the ready, Kenshin felt the force of Enizu's sword aimed at him. Before the strike could land, Kenshin whipped the sakabatou out of its sheath, following its path to his target.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Final Technique!"
It was an attack that could not be beaten, could not be blocked. It happened so quickly that Naruku did not have time to think before the blow landed.
-
Shoulders pushed roughly against the thick oak doors, trying desperately to break through. They had to get out there. Had to stop it.
"No!" Kaoru shrieked, watching as Kenshin unleashed the Amakakeru Ryu No Hirameki. Enizu's attack had been nothing more than a feint.
His true intentions were even worse. He had gripped Naruku by the shoulder, throwing her between him and Kenshin's sword, which had just begun to execute the final technique. Now Kenshin's sword was millimeters away from hitting Naruku with the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. She would be killed by the force of Kenshin's attack, and he had only just realized what Enizu had done…what Kenshin was about to do. There was too much put into that attack to pull back so suddenly, or even dampen the blow.
He could only watch as, once again, his own sword cut into the flesh of his love.
A/N: Gasp! Haha….well there's not too much to say here. Only that Kenshin's fight isn't over yet! I know everyone is going to be making tons of wild predictions about what happens. Probably a lot of you will be right. Well, it's true! Oh well, I don't care if that part is too predictable. There will probably be two more chapters of this fic—that's right, just two. Stick around please!
