Author's Note: Sorry for the delayed update. I was hoping to update before Christmas. I was having computer problems. I will soon be getting internet access at home, so I should be able to update at a quicker rate.
Recap: In the last chapter, Saito, Sano, Kouga, Shippo, Namu, and Kirara made their way to Kurashiki castle. While they were here, Naraku had youkai attack the wolf tribe in the mountains. Those same forces are now poised to attack the Western Lands. Inuyasha and Kagome's daughter is trying to prepare for the upcoming battle. Meanwhile, back at Kurashiki, our group encountered a battle of their own. Kouga and Saito managed to kill Gojin, an incarnation of Naraku, with Kirara's help. While this was going on, Shippo and Sano faced off against the resurrected Shishio Makoto.
Sano left under orders from Shippo to protect his son. In his search for the young fox, he was reunited with the rest of their group. Before they could go help Shippo, the castle collapsed around them and the stones mysteriously vanished without a trace. Deep in the burned out pit that had been under the castle, all Namu and the others could find of Shippo was his severed arm and sword.
The Samurai of Tomorrow
Chapter 36: Sakabatou Reforged
Namu stared down at the sword in his hand. His father's arm lay on the ground at his side. The others had spent the last hour scouring the area, trying to find any other trace of Shippo. The sun was already setting and the day was growing darker. It would be night soon. After a long moment, he put down the sword and began to wrap the severed arm with several magic leaves.
"What are you doing?" Sano asked, somewhat disgusted.
"My father's arm can be reattached," Namu explained. "I'm putting special leaves around it to protect it." Sano studied him for a moment before smirking half heartedly.
"I guess Shippo probably would want his arm back," he said. Namu didn't reply as he placed another leaf around the arm. He only looked up when Saito, Kouga, and Kirara joined them again.
"No sign," Kouga admitted gruffly. "His smell just vanished, I hate to admit it, but he might be..." The wolf swallowed his words. He wasn't quite ready to admit that the fox might be dead.
"There's no sign of Shishio either," Saito added thoughtfully. "Either they both were killed, which I doubt, or they both managed to escape." The other three looked at him in surprise. The former Shinsengumi gave an irritated sigh as he explained himself.
"We found Shippo's arm and sword in the pit, right?" he asked. Kouga and Sanosuke nodded in agitation. However, Namu suddenly realized where the tall man was going.
"If my father's arm survived whatever happened, then they should have too! They couldn't have been destroyed if the arm survived the blast." Saito smirked at him. Apparently the young man had inheritated some of his father's intelligence.
"So where exactly does that leave us?" Kouga asked. "We have no idea where to start looking."
"Wait, I just remembered something," Sano said suddenly. The others looked at him and he continued. "When Naraku was first released from the Toukijin, this youkai lady named Raizel had grabbed him and disappeared. Inuyasha and Shippo had said she had used teleportation." Kouga growled at that.
"Damn him, but that does make sense. Someone had appeared in Inuyasha's castle and stolen Kagome's ashes. But before we could catch them, they had disappeared. Wait a..." The wolf paused suddenly in shock. They had suspected that Naraku had stolen Kagome's ashes, but something had just occurred to him. Kagome had once told him that a priestess named Kikyo had been resurrected from her ashes. Was Naraku planning to bring Kagome back?
"That bastard," Kouga growled. Even though he loved his wife Ayame, he was also still more than a little in love with Kagome. If Naraku did anything to hurt her...
"Calm down," Saito commanded, whacking the wolf in the head. "Whatever we're going to do, we need to do it with a calm head. Rushing around in a mad rage will only get us killed." He relit his cigarette before finally picking up the sword at Namu's feet. Saito carefully examined it before handing it to the young hanyou.
"Take your father's sword," he ordered. "It's your duty to kill those who would harm him and those you care for." Namu tentatively reached out and grasped the handle. The Kadouki glowed a bright green at his touch before lying dormant again. A youkai sword was always choosy about it's wielder. Apparently the sword was willing to allow him to use it.
"I want to find my father," Namu stated firmly. "I want to kill this Shishio guy."
"Then let's be off," Saito said matter of factly. "We have a lot of work to do."
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It was nighttime again. It was taking Totousai a day longer than anticipated to finish the sakabatou. This may have been due to the fact that he had also agreed to reforge Aoshi's blades as well. It was to everyone's surprise that Inuyasha had only threatened the old man twice. The hanyou lord was impatient to be off, but he also knew the importance of a well forged sword. He could wait one more day. But only one.
Kenshin had cooked that night, using what small provisions they had. Inuyasha had brought back some wild game that they had cooked over the fire. The company had then spent the night deciding on their next move. Aoshi, Misao, and Kagome had told the others about Naraku's demonseed and the giant spider that had given birth to them.
They had eventually decided to head back to Kurashiki in the morning, unless another idea arose. Inuyasha doubted that they would find anything that he and Kenshin hadn't seen before. Naraku had already deserted the castle. The hanyou was tempted to return to the Western lands or to Tokyo. Shippo was supposed to be sending a message to Inuyasha any day now to update him on their search.
Kenshin was having a difficult time going to sleep. Misao, Yahiko, and Kaoru were already asleep. Aoshi had spent some time meditating and was currently keeping a look out. Kagome and Inuyasha were sitting a ways off with Sango and Miroku, having a private moment together.
He closed his eyes and attempted to sleep again. He had conquered the Battousai within himself a year ago, or so he had thought. The hitokiri had been defeated until Sesshoumaru had begun to awaken. Kenshin was slowly beginning to realize that the Battousai was in fact a reflection of his youkai spirit. He had often been called the Demon of Kyoto. Now, Kenshin realized, the term was more literal than his enemies had realized.
It terrified him.
It was at moments like this that he really wished for some of his sensei's wisdom. Hiko Seijuro had raised him. Had he ever suspected anything? When all of this was over, Kenshin planned to pay his master a visit. After a time he finally drifted into an uneasy sleep. Memories returned to him. Unwanted memories.
"You're wrong! Enishi, if this one committed a crime, this one should be punished! Anything else is no longer revenge...it's murder! Tomoe may wish for revenge, but surely not murder!" Kenshin yelled. He grunted in pain as Enishi's revolver struck his head.
"Don't speak about my sister! What do you know about her?"
She was my wife, Kenshin thought in his dream. I loved her. I didn't mean to kill her! The image of a dying Tomoe melted into that of Kaoru. A horrified Kenshin reached out for her as Naraku crushed her neck and broke her spine. No! Kaoru! The image of a suffering Kaoru shifted again, this time into the image of a little girl.
The boy had tried to kill her. He grasped the child by the throat and glared impassively at him. Rin was safe now, he had arrived just in time. Sesshoumaru wondered at the blank pleading in the boy's eyes. Was he wanting him to end his life? Was he asking for death?
"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha yelled. "Put the boy down!" He regarded his younger brother for a long moment before peering out of the corner of his eyes at the wide eyed Rin. Then he looked back at this boy, this servant of Naraku. He could feel three pairs of eyes on him...Rin, Inuyasha, and the strangely garbed priestess.
Sesshoumaru dropped the boy.
Kenshin tossed and turned as memories of the Bakumatsu again emerged. Blood, so much blood for peace. How many had he killed? Too many...too many...
Other images floated in his mind. Memories from long ago. Memories of the poor boy named Shinta. Memories of poverty, fear, slavery... Memories of wars, of great wars involving scores of youkai. They had fought with his father to repel the Panther tribe from the west. They had fought with him to repel them a second time...and most of them had died. He remembered. He had half hoped that Inuyasha would show up. He had despised his half human brother, but he was still their father's son. He should have been there. He should have...
But Inuyasha hadn't been there. He'd been been placed under a spell by a mortal priestess. Sesshoumaru didn't care for humans, they were foul and couldn't be trusted. His brother, half youkai that he was, had been tricked and ensnared by a human. She had pinned him to a tree for fifty years. He didn't trust humans. They were more like wild animals, fighting and scrounging in the dirt for survival. Humans were pitiful creatures.
Rin!
He hated them! His father had taken a mortal for a wife! A human as a replacement for his mother! He hated them!
Rin!
Except for Rin, the human girl had been different than the rest. He had cared for her, as much as he himself had been capable of. Sesshoumaru had never been able to show it, had never known how, but he had loved the child as a daughter. It was all the other humans who had been...
Tomoe! Kaoru!
All the other humans who were...
Yahiko. Sanosuke. Megumi...so many others. So many faces...
I hate them.
No...Kenshin thought. I don't...I can't. They are why this one continues to live. They are the ones that this one must protect!
There was silence. Then...
A strange woman appeared. She had silver hair and ice blue eyes. A crescent moon adorned her forehead as twin red stripes slashed across each cheek. His mother.
"Who are you? What is your name?" she asked.
"My name is Sesshoumaru, Mother..."
No! My name is Shinta!
No! I'm Hitokiri Battousai!
This one is Kenshin! Himura Kenshin!
"Who are you?" This time, it was a red haired woman asking him. She seemed familiar, but the face was blurred. "Who are you? What is your name?"
"I'm Shinta!" he yelled. The small girl appeared again. She smiled brightly and held a bouquet of wild flowers out to him.
"This is for you, Lord Sesshoumaru!" Other familiar voices began to present themselves.
"Kenshin, hey Kenshin!"
"Battousai!"
"Sesshoumaru, you Bastard!"
"Damn you to Hell, Battousai!"
"Uncle Kenny!"
"Shinta."
"Sir Ken!"
"Lord Sesshoumaru!"
"Who am I?"
Kenshin awoke in a cold sweat. He realized that Aoshi was looking over at him with hidden concern. Kenshin flashed him a weak smile before walking over and taking over his sentry duty. He wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep for a while. Aoshi gave him a considering look before leaving to sleep. He had heard Kenshin muttering in his dreams. Aoshi had seen the look of utter confusion on the swordman's face when he woke up.
He wouldn't ask though. Aoshi knew better than to pry into another man's private thoughts. The Obiwaban had an idea though. "Who am I?" he had heard him cry. Aoshi was surprised that the others hadn't woken up. He thought he had seen Inuyasha look over at him, but he wasn't sure in the dark. The Obiwaban lay awake for an hour before falling asleep, leaving the former Ishin Shishi to face his ghosts alone.
Kenshin fed the fire before gazing up at the stars. His dream had not faded, but was still very vivid in his mind. Who am I?
He didn't have an answer.
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"Kenshin, are you alright?" Kaoru asked in concern. The swordsman, except for Inuyasha and Aoshi, had been the only one up and about when she opened her eyes. Kenshin's eyes appeared distant as he prepared breakfast. He shot her an innocent smile that Kaoru immediately saw through. He was suffering, but being typical Kenshin, he was pretending that nothing was wrong.
"This one is fine, that he is," Kenshin said. Kaoru saw Inuyasha and Kagome exchange glances and realized that she wasn't the only one who had noticed. Even Aoshi had a fleeting moment of concern in his eyes. Kaoru sighed as she decided how to get him to talk. She decided to use her usual method.
She beat him over the head with her bokken.
"Oro?"
"Stop pretending everything's okay!" She yelled. "You've been acting gloomy."
"He always acts gloomy," Yahiko yawned. "He's just more gloomy than usual." However, even the boy was concerned. He didn't like the tired look in the swordman's face.
"This one is fine," Kenshin protested, then to avoid another beating, he admitted, "This one just did not sleep well, that is all." Kaoru lowered her weapon. She knew Kenshin was determined not to say anything else yet. She could beat on him all she wanted, but the stubborn man would only speak his mind when he chose to. She would have to wait.
"Let us hope that Totousai is finished," Miroku said. He was now back in Yahiko's sash after spending the evening with Sango, Kagome, and Inuyasha.
"He'd better be finished," Inuyasha growled. "If he isn't..."
"Then Kagome will sit you before you can hit him," Sango finished. Kagome nodded her head in agreement. Inuyasha gave a 'feh' before relenting slightly.
"Fine, but I'm still going to go check on the old coot." Inuyasha, it turned out, didn't have to go check on him. Totousai came shuffling out of his cave with all three swords in hand. First he handed the kodachis back to Aoshi, who inspected them carefully. The craftsmanship was remarkable. Then Totousai handed the reforged sakabatou to the waiting Kenshin.
Kenshin withdrew the sword. It glowed a faint silvery blue in his hand. It was strange, but he felt a comforting presence from the sword, as if it was an old friend. He felt a strange connection with the sword, a connection that he had only experienced with the Tenseiga.
It was as if the sword was calling to him.
"How do you like it?" Totousai cackled proudly. "It's name is the Tenya. I believe it will serve you well as long as YOU DON'T BREAK IT!"
"I thought it was supposed to be unbreakable," Aoshi said coolly.
"The Tetsusaiga and the Tenseiga are the most powerful swords I have ever made, but Inuyasha still insists on breaking his sword!"
"Shut up you old man! It's not like I mean to do it, it's your fault for..."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled. Inuyasha shut up, knowing full well who was the true authority figure. If he continued, all he would get was a sit.
Kenshin resheathed the Tenya. His hand paused over the Tenseiga as he felt it pulse at his side. He looked down at it curiously before drawing it. What do you want this one to do? He asked it silently. What are you trying to say? The sword pulsed stronger as he held it in front of him.
"Kenshin?" Sango asked.
"The Tenseiga is reacting to something," Totousai observed curiously. "I believe it wants you to do something Kenshin." Kenshin stared at the sword. What did it want him to do? With a jolt, he suddenly realized what the sword wanted.
"Lady Kagome, please don't be alarmed," Kenshin said.
"Huh?" Kagome asked. She nearly jumped in surprise as Kenshin brought the Tenseiga down in an arc at her. Inuyasha growled automatically as he gripped the Tetsusaiga. The Tenseiga never touched her. A bright blue light flew from the sword and enveloped her whole body.
"What did you..." Inuyasha started to growl.
"Calm down Inuyasha," Miroku said. "Remember, the Tenseiga can't kill. I believe Kenshin is bringing Kagome back to life." Inuyasha looked at his wife in surprise and realized that the dead monk was right. Kagome's clay body had been made from her ashes. The Tenseiga was rejuvenitating the dead organic material.
Kagome gave a gasp as she felt her whole body tingle. Inuyasha watched in amazement as he saw a warm blush creep across her cheeks. He sniffed once and smelled not graveyard soil, but human flesh and blood. Without a second thought, he wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her warm lips.
Kenshin resheathed the Tenseiga and smiled. He should have thought of that before. His eyes widened suddenly as his vision blurred. For a few seconds, he found himself kneeling on a forest floor, cradling a young girl with his one arm as it held the Tenseiga.
One arm?
He looked down at the girl again and realized who she was. Rin. He ignored a protesting Jaken as he helped the resurrected girl to sit up. She looked around before gazing up at him. Then she smiled.
"Kenshin? Are you okay?" Misao asked. "You spaced out."
Kenshin blinked and waved his hands. The others were all looking at him strangely, including Totousai. Kenshin smiled weakly and waved them off again, assuring them that he was fine.
"You look kinda pale to me," Inuyasha said.
"This one if fine, really," Kenshin repeated. "Perhaps we should eat breakfast, that we should." Kenshin gave a hidden sigh of relief as everyone else dug into their meal. However, Inuyasha kept glancing at him from time to time, until the hanyou finally gulped down his meal and stood up.
"Kenshin, I need to talk to you," he said.
"Inuyasha, at least wait until the man's done eating," Sango said.
"No, this one is fine," Kenshin replied. He wasn't that hungry anyway. The swordsman set down his bowl and walked off with Inuyasha.
"What do you think that's all about?" Misao wondered. Kagome watched silently as the two men wandered off. She, Sango, and Miroku had spent most of the night discussing Kenshin. They had finally persuaded the stubborn hanyou that he needed to have a serious talk with his brother's reincarnation.
"I'm sure they'll be fine," Kagome murmured. Then she dug into a bowl of her own, the first time that she had been able to eat since her resurrection. It was so unfair...Kenshin cooked better than she did.
Kenshin and Inuyasha stood silently off in the distance. Neither of them knew what to say, so Inuyasha finally decided to start with small talk. He persuaded Kenshin to use the Tenya to spar with him. Kenshin noticed that his sword's glow matched the color of Inuyasha's hair, but didn't think anything of it. Inuyasha found himself increasingly impressed with the other man's swordsmanship.
"I think you use a sword better than Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha finally admitted. They had paused after nearly a minute of fighting. The hanyou studied him carefully before continuing on. "I don't just mean his skill either," Inuyasha said. "You use the sword that protects people...all people. Sesshoumaru only protected the few people close to him." Inuyasha watched as Kenshin stared distantly at his sword before resheathing it.
"Inuyasha," Kenshin paused. "Where...is Aun?" The hanyou gave a start. He didn't think he had ever mentioned Sesshoumaru's two headed youkai pet. Well, he wasn't sure if Aun had ever been a pet to Sesshoumaru, but the beast had traveled with him.
"Aun stayed with Rin and her children until they died," Inuyasha explained. "Then they came to the Western lands where they became my children's pets. They died protecting Amaya during the Great Youkai War." He watched as Kenshin's eyes briefly flashed golden as he considered this.
"You remember, don't you?" Inuyasha asked quietly. Kenshin hesitated before answering.
"Some, yes. This one doesn't remember very much, that he doesn't."
"Is that why you can't sleep?" Another hesitation on Kenshin's part, then...
"Partially. This one has not exactly had an easy life, Inuyasha. This one's parents died when he was young and he no longer remembers them. This one also lived in poverty and was for a brief time captured by slavers when he was a child," Kenshin explained quietly. Inuyasha was looking at him with surprise.
"A...a slave?"
"Yes, though this one's sensei, Hiko Seijuro, rescued him and started to teach him the Hiten Mitsurugi at age ten. Kenshin...isn't this one's birth name. He was born with the name of Shinta, that he was. Master Hiko said that Kenshin was a far more suitable name for a swordsman."
Kenshin looked down at his hands before finally kneeling on the ground. Inuyasha sat down on his haunches and continued to listen.
"This one joined the patriots in the Meiji Revolution against his master's wishes, that he did. This one was known as the Hitokiri Battousai, a feared member of the Ishin Shishi. Much blood was spilled from this one's sword, that is why he has taken a vow to no longer kill. This one chooses to wield the sword that protects people so that he might redeem his past sins."
They sat quietly for a long time as Inuyasha stared at the red haired man. It was true that he hadn't known anything about Kenshin besides the stories he had heard of the Battousai, but he hadn't expected that. He stared out into the distance as he finally began to speak, so quietly that Kenshin at first thought he was talking to himself.
"I was alone as a kid too," Inuyasha said. "I never knew my father and my mother died when I was young. I was reviled and ignored by both humans and youkai. No one likes a half breed. Even Sesshoumaru despised me, though now that I think of it, I can't help but wonder if my human blood was really the only reason. Anyway, the first person who really accepted me and cared about me was a priestess named Kikyo."
Kenshin listened quietly as Inuyasha finally told him about Kikyo and Kagome. As the former Ishin Shishi listened, he couldn't help but be reminded about Tomoe. Without at first intending to, he found himself telling the hanyou about his first love. He also told him about the cross shaped scar on his cheek and of his eventual fight with Enishi.
"Kenshin," Inuyasha finally said. "Thank you for bringing Kagome back to life. And...I want you to promise me something."
"Oro?"
"Whatever happens, make sure you protect Kaoru. When this is all over, I want to see you two get married." Kenshin's face reddened at that. "I'm serious Kenshin," Inuyasha continued. "Miroku said that at your heart, you are a truly peaceful man and I agree. If you have any weakness at all, it's because you're too kind. You're Sesshoumaru's reincarnation, but you're not Sesshoumaru himself. Whatever name you choose to call yourself, whether it be Sesshoumaru, Battousai, Shinta, or Kenshin, you're still the same person. Remember that."
Kenshin stared at him. "Who am I?" He hadn't expected this kind of response from Inuyasha. It seemed...very mature. Even so...This one committed many sins as the Battousai, and even more as Sesshoumaru...how can this one truly find peace?
"Inuyasha..." he started.
"INUYASHA! KENSHIN!"
The two men spun around to where the others were in the distance. Kagome was waving a piece of paper. They saw a pink bubble pop and turn into a leaf. Fox magic.
"Shippo's message...?" Kenshin asked. However, as they raced back to the others, they discovered that the message was in fact from Shippo's daughter, Sango. Myouga the flea had traveled with the letter to make sure it reached Inuyasha. The message filled them with dread.
The Western lands were being attacked.
Without a moment of hesitation, they prepared to head back west.
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I promise that there will be more action in the next chapter. I wanted to try to get the focus back to Kenshin this chapter and also in the next few chapters.
Next chapter: Assault on the Western Lands