DISCLAIMER: I do not own nor will I ever own Rurouni Kenshin. I am making no profit from this and I will remove this if requested to do so for any legitimate reason.
WARNING: This story is rated R for violence, so if you do not like graphic depictions of people dying I suggest you find something else to read.
Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay but I set myself to complete a few things before I posted this. Unfortunately, they took longer than I thought but I still got them done. Just for your information, I'm anticipating about forty chapters to finish everything I want to achieve with this story. Luckily, I have thirty one already written.
Also, Thanks to JML for the info on the real Saito Hajime. If I'd known he had three sons, I could have written a funny little scene that came to mind when I read your review. Guess I'll save it for another story.
The Last Battle of the Bakumatsu
Chapter 27
By SDB
Yahiko jumped back while trying to stay focused on the two people he was sparring with. His right shoulder hung low as his healing wound ebbed with pain. He had only just been allowed back to training after a heated argument with Kaoru and his inactivity was evident. As he watched Misao and Sano clash again, he felt a little envious of how much stronger they were at the moment. Especially Sano, since he was wielding his zanbatou like it weighed nothing more than a feather. He knew couldn't stand around forever, so he charged in hoping to get under Sano's guard.
As Sano whipped his huge sword around trying to hit Misao, Yahiko came in at him from the opposite direction. While the teenager seemed to have the advantage, the seasoned street fighter was used to this tactic. He let himself be dragged by the momentum of his sword and slid far enough to avoid Yahiko's first attack. As he tried to get a second swing at him, Sano spun his zanbatou around forcing Yahiko to retreat out of its path. However, Misao wasn't so lucky.
She had dodged the first swing and tried to come back while Yahiko attacked. Now she was caught in midair as Sano continued to swing his sword in her direction. She was just able to get her kodachi in between his zanbatou and her body. While she had cushioned some of the blow, she was still sent flying across the ground. A couple of tumbles, some partially controlled flips and she was ready to continue the fight. However, as she stared at them she noticed that their eyes were fixed on a point behind her.
Spinning with her sword at the ready, she mistook the figure to be Saito. Luckily, before she launched an attack she realised that he was actually younger than her. She hesitated then, wondering what the he was doing there in the first place. The police officer seemed to regard her with a mixture of distrust and familiarity. As she studied him, she wondered if she had met him before. His narrow eyes and messy hair did appear recognizable but she didn't have a name to place to his face.
"What brings you here Eiji?" Yahiko spoke as he walked up beside Misao. While he looked calm, he still hadn't sheathed his weapon.
"Eiji?" Misao echoed, the name and face fit together but she couldn't remember from where.
Yahiko looked at her before remembering his manners. "Ah, you two haven't met. Mishima Eiji this is…"
"We have met before," Eiji coldly interrupted. Annoyed, Yahiko put a little more extravagance into sheathing his sakabatou putting Eiji on edge.
"Mishima Eiji…" Misao mused, her memory slowly coming into focus. "Now I know. You were the boy from Shingetsu village. So you became a police officer like your brother."
"Actually, he's been living with Saito and Tokio ever since then. With those shifty eyes of his, I was sure that he was Saito's son when I first met him." The intensity in Eiji's despairing gaze increased as he glared at Yahiko.
"When I think about it, he always had those narrow eyes but I think he's a little short to be Saito's son." Misao's humour was lost on Eiji and he let one hand grip the hilt of his sword. It was such a simple act that Eiji was surprised when both Misao and Yahiko came close to attacking him.
"You should be careful. Doing something like that might get you killed." Misao's warning only made Eiji berate himself for not realising the consequences of his action.
"Why are you here anyway? Come to have that duel that you wanted to have in Kyoto?" Yahiko maintained his attacking stance even though Misao had relaxed.
"Hey, when did you meet Eiji?" She inquired, remembering that Eiji hadn't been at the meeting in the Aoiya.
"While you were out investigating, Sano and I were stuck in a hotel waiting for Hasegawa. Eiji was left to baby sit us, well mostly he seemed to be there to stop Sano drinking." While Yahiko remained focused on Eiji, Misao turned to say something to Sano. However, when she saw him she felt an unsettling sensation. He was facing them, his zanbatou in his right hand with the blade resting on the ground. His head bowed so his eyes were hidden by shadow as he stood motionless in the centre of the field.
Without warning, he spun to his left. His huge sword ploughed up the ground as he heaved it around nearly three quarters of a full spin. He ripped the zanbatou from the ground throwing rock and debris toward the wooded area beyond the field. As the dust blew in the wind, he held his sword up pointing towards the sky. On its tip, flying like a flag, was a torn strip of blue fabric. Everyone looked to the clearing dust cloud to see Saito in a torn uniform but suffering no injury. They both stared at each other, neither of them concerned with the three observers.
"I should've known that you'd try something like that." Sano casually commented but he never dropped his guard.
"Would you have preferred that I offer you a formal challenge?" Saito coolly responded.
"That wouldn't be like you. Besides, if it was a formal challenge we would have to fight to the death. Right now, I don't think either of us is prepared to do that." Sano changed his stance, moving his sword to tilt backwards and changing his feet so he was ready to face the Gatotsu.
"As a swordsman, I am always prepared to fight to the death." Saito also moved into his attacking stance but he knew that Sano's stance meant he could only strike from above or his left.
"So you're ready to forgo your battle with Nagakura?" There was no change in Saito's expression, not that Sano expected to get one. "Well, I guess it's inconceivable to you that you could die by my hand."
"It's inconceivable to me that I can die by anyone's hand, let alone one as lowly as yours." Saito smirked as Sano showed a hint of aggravation. The street fighter was trying to hide his emotions but it was a trait that didn't suit him.
"I've told you before not to underestimate me so there's really no point me repeating it. Just remember that you started this. If you get too badly hurt to fight Nagakura, it's your own damn fault!" Sano's words ended in a yell as he gave up talking for fighting. Before he had even taken two steps, Saito advanced with his sword aimed at his neck. In an instant, Sano knew that he couldn't avoid the attack and his strike would come too late. Releasing his left hand from the zanbatou, he used it to push Saito's sword away. However, he still received a slight gash to his neck.
With only one hand swinging the zanbatou, it wasn't hard for Saito to kick it free from Sano's grip. Grimacing, Sano gripped Saito's sword hoping to immobilise it while he landed a punch. Unfortunately for him, Saito let go of his sword and hit Sano's unprotected stomach with a double blow.
"That was Sano's two handed Futae-no-Kiwami," exclaimed Misao as she watched Sano double over before receiving a knee to the face.
"He didn't land one blow, that's pretty pathetic," Eiji commented as Sano slid along the ground towards the river.
Yahiko's eyes never left the fight but he scowled at the inexperienced teenager's comment. "If you knew what you were talking about, you'd know that Sano's far from finished." True to his words, Sano got right back up and tossed Saito's sword back to him.
"And here I was thinking that you were going to hold back." Sano chuckled, realising he should never have made that assumption.
"Who says that I wasn't," Saito smirked as he took up his attacking stance again. Sano just watched him, standing with his hands at his sides.
"You started this fight. If you want to continue, then come and get me." Sano challenge didn't faze Saito who infuriated him by waiting a minute before attacking again. This time, Saito aimed his attack right between Sano's eyes but as he advanced he got his first shock. Sano's image blurred as he spun away from the tip of Saito's sword. He was able to land a solid left handed punch near Saito's kidney. However, the fact he wasn't as fast as Kenshin meant that he still received a slight cut to his cheek.
As the former Shinsengumi captain tried to back away, he heard the sound of tearing fabric. He looked down to see Sano holding onto his torn uniform in an attempt to keep him at close range. While he was looking down, he could see Sano's right fist coming up. It struck him in the face and was followed by a blow by Sano's elbow. Even though he couldn't see it coming, he was able to block the follow up knee. The block was strong enough to put Sano off balance. That allowed him to escape, leaving the street fighter with just a handful of his uniform.
"For someone in your position, there can be no holding back. So why didn't you attack me with the Futae-no-Kiwami when you had the chance?" Saito wasn't satisfied that Sano was holding back, especially since his normal punches were worthless in comparison to the Futae-no-Kiwami.
"I was holding back because neither of us can afford serious injury. Whether you like it or not, now is not the time for this kind of fight." In normal circumstances, Sano would rather have ripped his own throat out than agree with Saito. However, if they both wanted to fight at their full potential later, squabbling with each other now was not going to help.
"If you intend to hold back, then you are of no use to me. In this battle, worthless street fighters will just be cannon fodder. There's no point continuing unless you go all out. If you can't do that, then you'll have served your purpose and I have no need for your feeble skills. So what are you going to do?" Saito prepared to attack Sano again, not caring what his decision was going to be.
"Suit yourself but I told you before not to underestimate me." Sano moved into a stance that looked like a Gatotsu without the sword. He mirrored Saito perfectly except that if he was holding a sword it would have been in his right hand, not his left. Apart from a slight rising of his eyebrow, there was no reaction from Saito. Standing well away from the action Misao, Yahiko and Eiji all wondered what Sano was up to.
They attacked simultaneously but Saito was the faster of the two. He aimed his sword at the centre of Sano's gauntlet covered left hand. Sano didn't react until the tip of the sword touched his palm. Angling his hand to deflect the blow, he let his hand slid along the blunt side of the sword. Thinking that Sano was trying to grapple with him again, Saito prepared to hit him with a right hook. However, as soon as it was in reach, Sano grabbed Saito's sword hand and used Saito's momentum to spin him around.
It looked as if Sano had made a tactical error when he ended up with his back to Saito. Despite having Saito's fist slam into the back of his head, Sano was able to throw his right elbow back into the point of Saito's jaw. His head snapped back and his ears rang as the full impact of the Futae-no-Kiwami struck him. Having stunned his opponent, Sano spun back in the opposite direction twisting Saito's left arm as he went. As he exited his spin, he made sure to keep Saito's arm twisted at an awkward angle.
He didn't hesitate to return Saito's hit with interest. He landed a crunching blow to that back of his head and followed it up with a knee to his spine. Before he lost his advantage, he smashed his right hand up underneath Saito's left arm. With the arm twisted behind him and the strike from Sano, Saito could only listen as his shoulder popped out of its socket. He didn't have time to consider the consequences as he was thrown to the ground. As he hit the ground, he saw Sano's foot coming down to stomp on his dislocated shoulder.
Saito kicked out and was just able to trip Sano before his foot hit him. Sano rolled back but remained in a crouch, cautiously watching his enemy. Saito also rolled back and stayed low to the ground but he didn't move his left arm. The tattered remains of his clothes hid his shoulder from clear view but Sano knew he had dislocated it. They warily stared at each other and Sano noticed Saito testing the grip in his left hand. It appeared as though he was trying to see how much he could do with out making it obvious how injured he was.
"Did you fight like this with all your candidates?" Sano calmly inquired as he rose to his feet. "If you think I haven't heard about your little rescue mission, you're wrong. Small group, fifty men or so, sneak up and rescue the hostages. It has merits but you need competent fighters willing to kill. Isn't that the point of this?"
Saito didn't show his surprise nor did his rise to his feet. "It doesn't matter whether or not what you know is true. The fact is, if you know then there is a chance they know?"
"You've infiltrated their communication network. You tell me if they know what you're up to or not?" Sano noticed him grit his teeth in annoyance. "I wouldn't worry about where I heard all this. The underworld is quite happy with the way things are and they'd rather not return to the old days. I think it's probably the fact they can smuggle more stuff in now that we trade with foreigners."
"You seem to have forgotten that we're in the middle of a fight or do you think you've won?" Although he didn't show it, Saito was really aggravated by the fact Sano started laughing.
"What's he so happy about? The fight isn't over yet," Eiji growled as he watched proceedings.
"The fact that you need to ask shows how inexperienced you are." Yahiko responded sharply, annoyed the Eiji hadn't realised the situation.
Before Eiji could answer back, Misao cut in. "Sano dislocated Saito's left shoulder. No matter what happens next, Saito's Gatotsu can't be as effective as it was." Eiji grit his teeth as he watched the two men. He'd seen Sano concentrate on the shoulder but he didn't think he had gone as far as dislocating it.
"You think I'm that stupid," Sano chuckled at Saito's comment. "I've learnt three things from watching you fight. The first is that people who have found a way to beat the Gatotsu have continued to use that method. Of course, they lost because they thought you couldn't adjust your attack to beat their counter. Second, is the fact that even when they countered the Gatotsu, they didn't make their advantage count. They injured you but were never able to stop you using the same technique. In other words, they didn't hurt you enough while they had the chance."
"You seem to have thought about this a lot, for a moron anyway." Saito's snide remark didn't faze Sano as he continued to smile.
"Even if you heard about my fight with Aoshi, you wouldn't have learned much. I never thought that I would fight him but I've been dreaming of fighting you for five years. For every move I could think of, I knew you could think of a counter. So I just thought up as many moves as I could that would allow me to use my strengths to a maximum. You can do what you want but don't expect me to do the same thing twice." There was silence between them as they both waited for a reaction from the other.
"What's the third thing?" Misao shouted breaking the quiet. "You said there were three things you learnt, what was the third?"
"That's simple, it's related to the first two." Sano continued, never shifting his gaze from Saito. "The third thing I noticed was something in both you and Kenshin. An undeniable will to live. I don't know what you live for and it's really none of my business. But no matter how much you're injured, you just keep fighting. I thought I was like that but I've never known for sure. The only way to find out would be to fight you all out. I guess that's not going to happen now."
"After everything you've said, do you think I'll give up?" Saito smirked as he rose to his feet but it was clear his left shoulder was lower than his right.
"I never said you'd give up but with your left shoulder like that, you can't fight at your full potential. The one vital part of your body for the Gatotsu is your left shoulder. In its weakened state not only do you lose power and accuracy, it should be easier to deflect. However, none of that really matters since you've been holding back from the start. Either that or you're getting old and you've lost some of your ability. In the end it doesn't matter since I've been holding back as well." Sano reached under his gi and drew his short sword.
"You want me to believe that wasn't your best?" Saito looked almost like he was going to start laughing.
Sano just watched him, a devious smirk spreading over his lips. "In power and speed, no I haven't been holding back. However, in how I attack is the major difference. After all, I could easily gain the advantage by destroying that sword of yours. I mean, you were there to see my fight outside the Akabeko. You saw what I can do." Sano twirled his sword in his hand, watching Saito closely. His emotionless face made him believe he was thinking of the fight he had just mention. It was the fight where he had destroyed an enemy's sword with just a head butt.
"It comes down to this. You don't care about anything but your duty and that duty is to protect the people of Japan. This fight was just your test to see if I'm worthy but it could cost you if you are badly injured. That way, you won't be able to heal in time. The fact that you're here now means time is something you're short of. The only way out of this is if you call off the fight. Otherwise, from here on in, I will fight to kill regardless of the consequences." Sano moved into an offensive stance. It was similar to his first reversed Gatotsu but his left hand was closed in a fist and his right held his sword.
"A fight involves two people. I would suggest you yield?" Despite the pain in his shoulder, he somehow managed to take his fighting stance again.
"Who's the moron here? You started this and I'm not backing down. All I want is a good fight with someone who fought in the Bakumatsu. You or those Shinsengumi in the forest doesn't matter to me." Sano let his expression fade so that he betrayed no emotion. The tension between them was oppressive, so much so that no one noticed the new arrivals to the field.
Kaoru took one look at the scene and increased the strength of her grip on Kenji. Conversely, Kenji increased his efforts to break free and get closer. Meanwhile, Kenshin passively watched on, taking in all the information he had heard since his arrival. From it he determined the best course of action, although he doubted Kaoru would approve. She could only watch as he walked forward, not even breaking stride as he took the sakabatou from Yahiko. The surprise extended to the two combatants as Kenshin stepped in between them.
"Under the present circumstances, I cannot allow the two of you to proceed. If either of you disagree, you are free to challenge me." Kenshin let his hand rest on the hilt of the sakabatou, waiting for them both to desist.
Saito moved first, "Trust you to break the mood, Battousai." He sheathed his sword, trying not to display the weakness in his shoulder. "As for you moron, be in my office at eleven o'clock tomorrow. Make sure you bring that Sekihoutai friend of yours." With that he left and Eiji followed a step behind him.
"Kenshin," Kaoru dangerously growled as she advanced on her husband. He had relaxed for a moment but tension was again flowing through his body. Luckily, Sano decided to come to his aid.
"Give him a break Jou-chan, he only got involved so that Saito had a convenient excuse to get out of the fight. He was never going to draw his sword," Kenshin looked apologetically at Kaoru. Despite Sano seeing his reasoning, he still felt he needed to ask for her forgiveness. "Just remember Kenshin, don't do that again. If you do, don't expect me to stand down." Kenshin stared at him with a serious look for a moment but he knew Sano would keep his word.
"Sano, did you just threaten Kenshin?" Kaoru's menacing voice made the answer to the question clear. She was just testing whether or not he was going to retract his threat. Before Sano could speak, Kenshin cut in.
"Kaoru, there's really no need to get angry. Sano's just upset that I stopped his fight with Saito," he nervously stopped his wife from advancing on the street fighter.
"He should be glad you stopped it before he got hurt," she angrily turned away, Kenshin sighing in relief.
"Like you would know Jou-chan," Sano grumbled as he picked up his zanbatou and walked away.
"What's his problem?" Kaoru asked but no one offered any answers.
Kenshin took this moment to hand the sakabatou back to Yahiko. "Sorry Yahiko but I'm sure you can understand considering the circumstances." The teenager just nodded, knowing that Sano's life might just have been saved.
"What are you guys doing here anyway?" Misao inquired as everyone seemed to have stopped to think about Sano.
"We were going to invite you all to lunch. We can still go if you're interested." Kaoru looked at them all, waiting to see if there were any refusals.
"What about Sano?" Yahiko asked but he didn't expect a generous answer from his master.
"That stupid chicken head can get his own," Kaoru marched off, cheerfully playing with Kenji. Everyone else fell in behind her, happy to at least get a free meal. Kenshin was the only one in the group who still seemed concerned. After all, he had noticed that it wasn't just Saito who was trying to hide their injuries.