My Salvation

by lunartick

An old man tells a story, and Soujiro listens... and learns. Ignore the notes at the top and bottom of the story. This story is officially discontinued.

Hi people! I'm back with another Soujiro story. I haven't decided if this is an oneshot yet, so I'm basing it on reviews.

If you want me to continue this story, please say so in your reviews!

If I get more than five saying they want this story to be continued than I will continue it! So please do read and review!

To Salvation

Long, long ago, my dear children, long before you were even born, there was a man who created many legends. He helped to bring in the new era, and create the society of peace we now live in. Along with him came stories, so many stories it is impossible to tell the truth from the myths. A pity that would be, for with this man, many a times, the truth is by far more fascinating than the myths.

It is thus, dear children, that you are in for a treat today. Lean close and listen hard, for today, Grandpa Toya is going to tell all of you one of those real stories. This, I know is real, because I was there my very self when I saw it happen. Oh yes, that is true! Hush… hush… no more noise, everybody listen hard. Here is a story of how a boy became legend.

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I remember that day as well as I remembered what I ate for lunch today. I can't remember what I ate for lunch, you say? Well, that would be true for most days, only today, my lunch is still in front of me, you little imp! Do not interrupt me. Look! Your little brothers and sisters are still listening hard.

As I had said, I remembered that day well, for it was one of the greatest, and most terrifying days of my life. I didn't know it then, of course, for the skies were bright and cheery, and the birds were singing beautiful songs of hope and life. I didn't know it then, but soon the land would be stained red.

I was a foot soldier, part of the infantry under Katsura Kogorou that was bonded to the overthrowing of the Tokugawa government. It is true that by then, I was quite past being middle-aged, but I was a hale old man, and no one was going to stop me from fighting for my country.

Even in my old age, I was terrified of battle, scared of having to rush into a chaotic mess of hundreds of men, fighting for what they believed in, fighting for their lives. Most terrifying of all, was having to fight the Wolves of Mibu, the Shinsengumi. Hmm? Did you say something? Speak up boy! Don't mumble to yourself! Oh… oh yes, yes, it is true; I had to fight the Shinsengumi many times.

That fine and bright day, my boys, was one of those days when the unit I was in was to fight the Shinsengumi's first unit, I believe. Of course we didn't know it then. Basically, our mission had been to ensure Katsura-san made it safely back into Kyoto, and escort him back to his hideout. He had left for reasons even we didn't know – but it had to be good reasons, because we have a nice, peaceful society now.

Thus, there we were, all surrounding him, dressed like civilians, the ten of us, here to make sure one of the great leaders did not fall to the Tokugawa sword. Then… we all saw him, and we were puzzled. We didn't know why he had a boy trailing behind him.

There he was, the great Katura-san, standing calmly with a slightly dreamy look on his face as he stared at the sky, and behind him, a boy with the brightest red hair ever. At first, I had thought that he was a servant or a valet – then I saw his eyes, looked deep within it, and knew at once that this was no ordinary boy. No valet or servant could have eyes like that, deep, dark eyes that foreshadowed death and destruction. Oh, you may laugh, children, you may laugh, but I was there, and I knew Death when I saw it.

We didn't dare ask his name, not even Aikawa, the youngest and most daring of our lot, but it turns out we didn't have to. Katsura-san had turned to us and very calmly stated, "Men, this is Himura. He will be following us wherever we go."

Himura… Himura…

The name was whispered amongst us as we tried to place this young man amongst the ranks of our leaders. No. There was no one we could remember. Yet, those eyes spoke something to us, and before long, the rumour was spread.

Battousai is amongst us.

Were we terrified, you ask? Oh yes, most certainly, my dear girl, most certainly. The legendary slayer of a thousand men was amongst us. Like his name suggests, the moment he draws his sword, all men will die before him. We were so scared, yet in a tiny winy little corner of my mind, I was relieved. Battousai was with us; we had nothing to fear.

We were then just out of Fushimi, a city linked to Kyoto by a highway, which was the road we intended to take. As ordered, we were to travel as a performing group into Kyoto. I was given a cart of props to push along, and I can tell you, it was so heavy I almost broke my back pushing it along that bumpy highway.

We had set off then, Katsura-san strolling nonchalantly amongst us, conversing in quiet tones with the man we were sure was Battousai. Occasionally, I would catch a wisp of what they were speaking, but the other men were making so much noise I couldn't be sure of what I heard. And, of course, I was struggling with my cart, which left me with little thought of eavesdropping.

Then suddenly, it began to rain, and the road turned muddy and slippery almost instantaneously. Kami-sama, I remembered thinking, what happened to the bright and cheerful day? We howled and ran for the trees, some of us laughing as we went. I was stuck in the rain, trying to get the cart into shelter. Suddenly, he was beside me, one hand gripping the handle.

I confess then that I was so frightened I almost peed my pants, but all he said was, and I remember this as clear as the day, "Let me help."

It was the shortest of all sentences, but then I knew by now this was a boy who barely spoke. Mutedly, I had given him some space, and together, we had wrestled the cart into shelter, the rest of the men cheering us on.

I must admit I was quite shocked by the strength this young man had. He was shorter than me then, though maybe he had grown up by now, but he pushed the cart through the mud and rain like it weighed nothing at all. I was impressed by his power, and also by his kindness. Oh don't whine, boy! I know you want to hear about blood and gore, but that comes later… not much later, but still later.

So, we stood under the trees, which provided little shelter at all, and we were so cold and miserable. Other than the rain, a thick fog had risen, a fog which was strangely enough, cold and wet to the touch. I remember stuffing my hands into my sleeves to keep warm, but it didn't help. Yet, the boy just stood there, arms by his side, staring into the rain like he remembered something. Perhaps he did; who knows what goes on inside the mind of a killer?

Anyway, we were just standing there when suddenly, all chaos broke loose. From nowhere, there was a sudden shout and a war cry broke out. It was dark, and we could barely see anything through the rain, and the cries seemed to echo from… everywhere.

I dropped the handle of the cart and pulled out my sword, and many of our men did the same, all of us milling around, shouting, crying, wanting to know what was going on. It was pure terror.

Then from the mist, dark shapes began to form, and I screamed in terror. I couldn't see an inch from my face, couldn't see what those shapes were, but I saw them dancing… dancing towards us.

Suddenly there was a scream to my right, and I turned around wildly, but couldn't see anything. Then I stumbled heavily and landed on something soft and warm. The next thing I knew, I was looking into the bloodied, half-destroyed face of young, reckless Aikawa. I screamed, but couldn't move. I was petrified.

Lying on the ground, gasping, crying for redemption, the shouts suddenly seemed clear to me. Even with my fading hearing, I could… hear the words.

"Shinsengumi! It's the Shinsengumi!"

"For the Emperor!"

"Run! Katsura-san! Run!"

"No! No… don't hurt me… NO!"

"Shinsengumi!"

Then as suddenly as it came, the fog cleared, and I looked around me. There were dead bodies scattered all over the ground, a gruesome sight... bodies slashed in two… the blood… oh the blood… It mixed with the water… on the ground it was… and it ran towards me like… like… like a river of blood. I screamed again and finally found the strength to move.

Grabbing my sword, I leapt to my feet, screaming wildly, my mind blank with fury and fright. I would have charged recklessly into the chaos, I knew, but then I saw him.

It was the most awful… yet most beautiful sight I had ever seen. The young man was standing in the chaos, his sword hanging gently by his side in his right hand. A breeze rose and picked up his beautiful hair, hair the colour of dawn.

"Those who do not wish to die," he said calmly, in the longest sentence I had yet to hear him say, "please leave right now."

There was no reply from the men surrounding him, just as I knew there would be none. These were no ordinary soldiers; they were the Wolves of Mibu, and wolves… well… wolves never backed down. They just stared back at him, their faces stern and stoic. Even in that instant, oh yes… that very instant of fear and hatred for them, even in that instant… I found admiration… even esteem for them.

"You have my respect," was all the young men said. Then he leapt into a dance of death.

Kami-sama! The way he darted and dashed, appearing magically behind the soldiers, his sword… nothing more than a flash of light. He was like Aji-Suki-Taka-Hi-Kone, one of the many thunder gods, roaring down on his opponents, destroying them with lightning.

Blood flowed even more swiftly than I ever thought possible. How could a human being have so much blood in them? I stood at my spot, disgusted, appalled, yet cheering him on. It rained blood that day, oh yes it did.

All of a sudden, a figure stood out from the crowd. He was by no means a tall person, but something about him drew my attention to him.

"Stop."

Just a single word, and my blood ran cold. This was a voice, I knew, that could command the life and death of a person.

"Souji Okita."

I almost wailed in despair then. I felt that my fate was sealed; I would die today, for Souji Okita's skills were well known all over Japan. Not even this young man would be able to stand up to him.

"We meet again, Battousai," the first captain said, smiling in a way that made me collapse to the ground in fear, "Alas, the weather is ill, but I believe we can finish our battle the last we left off."

That sentence gave me hope, I must confess, and for the first time that day, I felt that I would survive the battle.

"My mission is not to destroy you," Battousai, I could no longer think of him as a young man, replied, "but yes, we will fight."

Then they had clashed. Previously, I had been amazed by Battousai's skills, but now… I was astounded. The way they clashed and fought, two lightning snakes, striking at each other, circling, striking, circling, striking… and all the time, talking pleasantly about the present political changes.

It went on for what seemed like hours, before they both stopped. "This is going nowhere," Okita had said, looking mournfully at his sword which was stained with blood, "and really… my mission was not ambush you, but the party of men who are transporting supplies for the Mori army."

"Then you could have let me passed in peace," Battousai retorted back, looking annoyed and irritated.

Okita laughed, and he sounded so much like a little boy. "How could I, silly," he chided gently, and I balked at the thought of calling Battousai "silly".

"How could you not?" Battousai retorted again, obviously the least pleasant of the pair.

"Well… I see a group of performers," Okita went on, his posture relaxed, "and I see amongst them, the legendary Battousai. That tells me this group is up to something that is very much against my beliefs. How could I not?"

"I was merely traveling."

"You are not a good liar, Battousai. So, can't you just tell me what you're up to so I can go back to waiting in ambush for my real prey?"

"I have decided to become a performer instead of a Hitokiri." Even I stared at that, but Battousai looked extremely serious.

Okita merely chuckled. "In that case, I suppose that is what I have to report to my boss." Laughing, he retreated back into the trees, disappearing amongst the woodlands, the sole survivor of the encounter with Battousai.

I remember standing there, staring at him as he brushed past me, seemingly oblivious to my shock. "Katsura-san," he had murmured, and the man had come out from the trees.

"Oh, no fear, Battousai! I took care to hide like you told me to."

"Good. Let's continue."

Ignoring me, they continued on, but I leapt into action, running after them. It was then that I knew we would win. We would bring forth the Meiji era, as long as he was with us. Himura Battousai – the man, the slayer, the legend.

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The old man settled back to lean against the wall of the inn as the crowd of children around him started to chatter excitedly.

"Tell us more, Grandpa Toya!" they cried, "We want to hear more about Battousai!"

"Give an old man a break," he chuckled, "I have been talking for hours already!"

"It's been barely…" they protested, but he cut them off with a shake of his head.

"Give an old man a break," he repeated, "let me rest." He closed his eyes and leaned back as the children began to chatter again.

The young man a slight distance away settled back to, his mind replaying the story in his mind. This was the Battousai he had never met, had never knew; a Battousai so different from the one he knew now.

"Oji-san," he said, walking over to the old man and gently shaking his shoulder, "can I ask you a few questions, Oji-san?"

The old man opened one eye to look at him. "You're a bit old for my group of listeners," he commented.

The boy smiled charmingly. "I just wanted to ask you, Oji-san, about Battousai. Have you met him recently?"

"Of course not. No one knows where he went after the war was over."

"If I told you Battousai had given up killing, and has decided to use a sword that cannot kill, what would you say?"

The old opened his other eye, and the boy was mildly surprised. For a man with such a shrunken, frail and diseased body, this man had the most beautiful, gleaming pair of eyes. They fell on him wisely, and took in him carefully. "Are you a philosopher, boy?"

"No, sir."

"You're asking if I think that's being hypocritical."

A statement, not a question. "Yes sir."

"My answer boy, is yes."

"Really?" Now the boy was surprised again. "You really think so?"

"Of course boy! To kill all your life then to claim that killing is bad and you want to save people with your sword… if that' s not hypocrisy, I don't know what is."

"Oh…" the boy frowned again, "in that case, he's being… well… he's wrong, isn't he?"

"I never said that."

"But you said…"

"Child," the old man laid a hand on his shoulder, "who ever said hypocrisy is a bad thing?"

"But…"

"Everything in this world is balanced," the old man said, placing his hand on his knees like a shrunken Buddha, "Courage can be brave, but it can also be foolish. Honour is held in great esteem, but it also caused the death of hundreds of samurais after the war was over. Love, ah, great love, brings out the best in us, and the worst in us."

The boy stared at his feet. "I don't understand, sir."

"Any form of… repentance is hypocritical, child," the old man said, "A thief steals and steals all his life, but in the end, because he feels guilty, decides to establish an organization that fights thievery. Is that hypocrisy?"

"Yes."

"But it benefits people, doesn't it?"

"Well… yeah… but…"

"In the end," the old man murmured, "if you look at it that way… hypocrisy may not necessarily be a bad thing."

The boy stood there, staring at his shoes, trying to comprehend. "In that case, he is right?"

"I never said that either, boy."

"But you said…"

The old man laughed. "Ask a hundred people and you will get a hundred different opinions because that is the way the world works. If you feel it's right then it is right; if you feel it's wrong than it is wrong." Closing his eyes, the old man leaned back again, the vitality appearing to have been sipped from him. "Give an old man a break," he murmured, "give an old man a break to think."

The boy stood there quietly. "I don't know what I feel."

"You will."

"How long will I take?"

The old man opened his eyes again, and Soujiro saw the gleam again, the gleam of wisdom and experience. "Who can tell?" he replied, "It could be days… it could be months… it could be years. Hell, it could be seconds, but… who can tell?"

"Do you have a decision… how you feel about it?"

The old man looked at him quietly. "Yes. Yes I do, but I will not tell you because you know yourself."

"I don't."

"Oh yes you do."

"I don't understand it at all."

And the old man laughed. "But you do," he insisted, "you do. Think about it and you will see that you do."

The boy stood there and thought about it. Then he smiled. "I don't know what I feel," he said, "but… I started on this journey, and I put myself through the things he saw and felt… so that must mean that somewhere inside… I have an answer. It may not be the answer he reached, but I have an answer. I just need to dig it out."

"That is not exactly what I had in mind, but it is a good reasoning." The old man closed his eyes again and this time there was silence.

"Thank you, Oji-san." The boy bowed deeply and turned to leave.

After a few steps, the hoarse voice of the old man called out, "How is he, boy?"

"He is fine."

"Your name, boy?"

"Seta Soujiro."

"Tell him I remember him."

"I will…"

"Good." And the old man fell back into slumber, a deep slumber that follows once one had finished what one had been put on this earth to complete.

"Goodbye, and thank you."

Soujiro set off down the road again, feeling more carefree than he had ever felt since he started on his travels. He didn't feel like going there, but… he had an obligation to the wise old man.

"To Tokyo," he murmured to himself, "To salvation."

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Author's Note: Ha ha… I know this is a Sou fic, but somehow, the majority of the fic was taken up by Kenshin. This is actually an experiment on the different presentations of a story, and like I said, it has a potential to be a multi-chapter fic, so I had no qualms in spending three-quarters of the story on Kenshin. If you didn't like it then sorry, but do remember to review!