AN: I'm Back! Here is chappie 2! Be excited and make me feel better please! I need the motivation to continue with this! When I started many months ago I was happy but I'm having my second thoughts…!
Anyway, DISCLAIMER: Since I'll forget this for a few chappies along the way, know that not under any circumstances in any parts of my story am I claiming RK as my own! On with the show!
Part two: Assassination #1
Mid-morning. They were hiking through the woods with their swords on their waists. The red head was leading the way and she was following at her desired pace.
"So, akage, what sword style are you?" She asked suddenly. (AN: Akagered haired. I'm probably not using it correctly, but it doesn't matter because Kaoru is a free spirit and does whatever she wants in my story...usually...)
He paused then decided to answer, "Hiten Mitsurugi-ryû."
"Hm. Never heard of it--"
"You will," He said. She figured it was either really common or really good. If it was really good she wanted to learn it. Surely he would teach her.
"Oh. Well, I have no particular style. It's my intention though to create my own and call it Kamiya Kasshin-ryû, number one satsujin-ken kendo style!" (AN: I'm probably saying that wrong too…)
"Yeah, well, good luck to you, 'cause you aren't learning mine," He said.
"What? Why not? I wanna learn!" She said. It must be a good sword style.
"Sorry. It's mine and mine only. My master is the only other person in the world who knows it. I think," He was finished and wasn't planning on saying anymore.
"Well then, don't you wanna share it? It must be lonely. I think masters are creepy. You should teach it. You'd make a good creepy master," She covered her mouth either trying not to laugh or because she didn't mean to say it. But the red head didn't say or do anything to the comment, just kept walking.
"Why don't you talk? You barley even talked in the cabin back there last night," She said curiously.
"Why can't you stop talking?" He asked with anger growing on his tone. But he still didn't look back. He noticed that her voice was no longer filled with the malice it had last night. It was...perky.
"I think communication is an important part of life. People should also get to know each other very well, especially if they work together, like you and me. Plus, I'm a girl; talking is what I do."
Is she ever going to shut up? He wondered. How am I going to murder people with Miss Blah Blah Blah hanging over me? I liked the old her better. What's this? Ten seconds of silence? A miracle!
Five minutes of silence came and Kenshin's spirits were lifting until suddenly-
"Hey, akage?" A sad voice interrupted his peaceful silence. He sighed.
"What now?" He asked impatiently. She didn't answer so he looked over his shoulder at her. Then she spoke.
"Were your parents murdered too?" She asked, looking down at her feet as they walked. Kenshin was so preoccupied in staring at her that he walked into a tree and fell to the ground in a cloud of dead leaves. She stood over him and then held out her hand. He ignored it and stood up by himself. She let her hand fall with a sigh.
"What do you care?" He asked, not wanting the memory to rise again after all these years.
"Well, most parents wouldn't let their kids run off and become assassins. Something must have happened. Mine were murdered. Brutally murdered," She looked down again and he stared down at her. He was about one or two inches taller than her and knew he had seen more blood than most grown men had. She was still almost unstained. But a year's time would probably change that, like it changed him, year by year.
He started walking again, "They died but they weren't murdered. To me death is death and they are dead so there's nohing I can do about it, but I don't think on it...So, how did you become an assassin?"
She started walking again and replied, "After the death of my parents at nine years old I studied swords. When I was thirteen I tracked down the mob that killed them and skewered them alive. Heh. They weren't as tough as they thought they were.(AN: I like to make Kaoru able to train in like..a short period of time...deal with it...)
"They enjoyed killing my parents. But my parents were just people who knew just as much about swords as I did at that age. Nothing. They were taking a walk one night and were found by those good for nothing cowards. My parents left me with my grandmother who fell asleep right after they left. I heard strange noises and went to see what it was at the window. I saw them die as I peered out to see why my mommy had screamed. First I saw my father fall. They circled around mommy. I saw blood spray...and she fell too.
"But when I killed the gang I realized how good it felt, to get revenge on someone like that who killed innocent people. So I went to your boss. He watched me assassinate an assigned killer with my speed and grace and…I was hired," Her voiced had a slight twinge of triumph in it. He was astonished that she actually liked killing. He had thought she was so innocent.
"I see," He said and just kept walking.
"Well? I told. Your turn," She said, perkiness growing again.
Kenshin sighed, "My parents died, my master found me, I learned Hiten Mitsurugi-ryû, and became the legendary Battousai. Happy?" She giggled.
"I think my explanation was a bit more in depth, but I'm sure, in time, you'll tell," She said. They came upon a clearing in the woods where a single cabin stood. There was no one outside so they walked onto the porch and Kenshin slid the shoji open. Sitting and having sake were two men; one being their target.
Simultaneously they stood up and laid their hands on their sword hilts, chuckling.
"What can I do for you?" The target asked. The other one grunted in agreement.
"Your life is all we need," A voice full of hatred said. It was Kaoru. Kenshin looked at her and pushed her away.
"I don't need your help, thanks," He said. She stared at him with a look of disgust and Kenshin turned back to face the target. He just chuckled again and unsheathed his sword.
"C'mon, kid, you're not worth my time. Just go or die peacefully. Your choice," He said.
"Hate to say it, but you're not worth my time either. So, let's get this over with. I want to see look of shock on your face as you die by my hand, a sixteen year old," Kenshin pulled out his katana and got into stance. The target charged but when he brought his sword down Kenshin was already in the air and landing behind the man. One swipe of his sword and the man's blood was leaking out of the large wound in his back, "Pitiful," Kenshin spat.
"Akage..." Kaoru said speechlessly. That was the fastest fight she'd ever seen. She really wanted to learn his sword style.
Kenshin kicked the figure that gasped for life on it's knees to the ground. But in that fraction of a second that Kenshin was unaware, the other man rushed at Kaoru. His sword came down but sparks erupted as Kaoru's half unsheathed sword connected with the attacker's. Kenshin was about to rush over but Kaoru didn't want his help either.
"Stay there, akage! I'm not a helpless little girl, you know!" She yelled as she pushed the man's sword away and pulled hers all the way out. As he staggered back she threw her sheath behind her and lunged at her opponent. He blocked her attack at the last second but stumbled back again. Without hesitation she leapt at him again before he even finished stumbling and was blocked for the second time, locking their swords once more. She revolved her blade so that it twisted his and he staggered to the side with his arm sprained. She spun around him in a circle and swung her blade at the back of his neck, cutting through his throat from behind. She was careful not to cut his head off though, for it was kind of gross to witness.
Kenshin, astonished, stood with his mouth open. He never would have expected that girl to move so fast and gracefully. She pulled her sword out of his back and the man fell to the ground some feet away from his friend. She smiled.
"What'd I tell ya?" She wasn't even winded. His eyebrows raised, "I told you I was good and you didn't believe me."
His brows furrowed before she saw the shock in his eyes, "It was only one man. These were the lousiest fighters I've ever met. What could they have possibly done to deserve there own deaths? And I took mine out faster, by the way," He didn't want to admit that he thought she did well. So he turned and started to walk back.
"You know, akage, you're not the most polite gentleman in all of Nippon. A gentleman would have complimented me. You just don't want to admit that I'm good. Almost as good as you."
He scoffed and walked faster. This girl was going to be an annoying one, he could tell.
AN: Ok, my first blood and gore scene in this ficcie, plenty more to come! Yatta! Hey, it really wasn't that bad. I could've had them dice the poor fellows. So how was it? I can't help but feel that my chappies are really short…Are they? Please tell me in your review, because I know you loyal people are going to review, ne?! Thank you much! TA TA for NOW!