Hello members of the Bleach community. Here is a story that was inspired by a comment a friend of mine made, which got me thinking, and eventually led me to ask the question "What if Kenshin became a Death God after he died?". Here is a story chronicling one possible answer to this question.
Yes, I confess, this is a crossover. I have never done a crossover before. I normally avoid crossovers. However, I find that in this case the two universes intermingle nicely, when you give it a bit of thought.
These are my two favorite animes of all time, and so I will do my best to respect them as necessary. Note that Bleach is still running, and I have not yet read all of the Jinshu Arc of Kenshin. I will, however, do my best to keep to the canon of both stories, and to adapt my story as needed. Please, bear with me for now.
Disclaimer- I'm gonna say this now: I do not own Bleach or Rurouni Kenshin. Bleach is owned by Kubo Tite, and Kenshin by Watsuke. Honored and blessed be those ever great men!
Wandering Soul of Eternity
Prologue
Deep within the human conscience, buried beneath the amazing qualities of adaptation, intellect, reasoning, language, and countless other attributes that set humans above any other being on the Earth, there rests a question. It stems forth from the very depths of the soul.
It is born of fear, but then dons the disguise of curiosity. It has been the driving force of mankind's actions since the beginning, leading the most desperate to commit the most monstrous crimes, sacrificing anything and everything in an attempt to fight against this unanswered question.
Others have been led down paths of philosophy until they created what would be known as religion. Sets of beliefs to explain the mechanics of the universe to give peace to the mind and soul were written up and shared with others. Some would adhere to these teachings, accepting them as divine truths, setting themselves as ease.
Of course, when these ideas collided, mankind fell into disarray. When philosophies do not coincide with each other, it drives men to question themselves, and in that time of uncertainty they reawaken that question deep within themselves, and the fear returns.
That uncertainty is the great and unanswered question of mankind: "What happens to me after death?"
The most primitive religions of the world seemed to share the idea that all living beings that died had a spirit that would continue to walk in the world, but would maintain no physical properties. These spirits could be called upon to receive strength or wisdom, or sometimes just needed comfort. Animism provided little progression for life beyond the grave, as the capabilities of the spirit were in some ways greater and in some ways inferior to those of the mortal body, and so, with the evolutions of peoples into actual societies and cultures, new answers were sought out.
The philosophies of the east answered this mystery with the model of reincarnation. The idea that the soul departs from the body at the time of death, receives a short reprieve in an unknown realm of the universe where they are judged by an unseen, unknown force, and then condemned to another body for a time until it dies, and then repeating. They thereby lock themselves in a cycle, promising themselves a form of immortality, but it is a vicious and empty cycle and it limits the soul and the potential powers it can obtain based upon the limits of the body it is given.
Peoples in the west would create deities of all shapes, powers and names. These gods ruled over the heavens and the earth, acting as guardians for mankind. Some gods were good, some evil, and some who had allegiance only to themselves. Gods gave life and took it as they saw fit, and the different deities would judge the human souls that had left their mortal life, some being sent into an empty abyss, called by many names, but best known as Hell. Other gods would send a soul to a paradise of some sort, whether it be a hall of champions where a warrior's soul could forever find happiness surrounded by the heroes of his life, or a land of golden roads with people of modest hearts and full of peace.
Whether these ideals, or one of the countless others that humans have come to believe in, is correct is not what is important in the mind. They derive their value only from the fact that they give rest to the human mind and soul. They ease the fear and stave off the questions.
XXXXXXX
Spring always brought the promise of the cherry blossoms, which every man, woman and child of Japan looked forward to beyond all other things as the winter passed away. The warm breezes of spring, the life-giving rain, the dancing butterflies, they all combined their efforts in spreading seeds and pollen for the sake of this great time of year, when the trees, after enduring a harsh winter of biting winds and bitter snow, could once again blossom with new life.
Kenshin Himura admired the sakura trees for their determination to live on. Despite all that they were forced to endure as the ever-changing elements beat against them, they continued to bloom every year, young and beautiful and full of life. The only thing he did not like about the pink petals was that they so readily fell, as if giving into death all to easily.
But then he always remembered that perhaps they were little different from him. Had he not been willing, numberless times before, to give his life in order to safeguard the lives of others? Perhaps the sakuras fell for that sake, feeling in themselves a need to fall in order to help keep the tree healthy so that the tree may continue to produce new and lovely blossoms every year to bring joy to the souls of man.
Looking away from the tree within the courtyard of his home, the Kamiya Dojo, he smiled warmly as he turned his head, his attention having been drawn by a light giggling sound. There, across the courtyard and approaching him at a moderate speed was his beloved wife, Kaoru Himura, formerly known as Kaoru Kamiya, whose father had been the founder of the dojo and the Kamiya Kasshin style of swordsmanship. A sword style that Kenshin respected above all others, even his own, because of it's ideals to both protect the weak and to spare lives, the two goals of his own life.
Standing at Kaoru's side, holding her right index finger tightly, was their three year-old son, Kenji Himura, the one who's giggling had caught Kenshin's attention. He was a precious little boy, appearing practically identical to Kenshin, only shorter, and red hair that had a strong shade of brown thrown in, varying from Kenshin's bright scarlet locks.
Of course, the final -and most pronounced- difference was that Kenji lacked Kenshin's most distinguishing mark. Thinking of it now, Kenshin found himself unconsciously reaching up with his left hand, allowing his fingertips to brush over the cross-shaped scar on his cheek. A scar which held a horrible story behind it, that had been used by many opponents to distinguish him as his past self.
He did not admire or praise his scar, as many other samurai would of their own wounds. It held too much pain for him to be proud of it. The lives lost or broken because of that ugly mark, which he had only begun to start putting behind him just five years prior. Thankfully, since then it had begun to fade away.
"Hello Kaoru. Hello Kenji." he said, his voice more cheerful than in years previous. Back when he had first met Kaoru, and for over a year afterwards, he had always been able to smile, to make others believe he was happy, when in fact he was struggling within himself. But now, ever since he and his brother-in-law, Enishi Yukishiro, had walked away from each other, and then his wedding to Kaoru that followed shortly afterward, he really did feel the weights lifted from his back.
"Kenshin." Kaoru said, smiling herself while her husband knelt down to put him at eye level with his sun. The young boy responded by slowly reaching forward with his small hands, a curious look in his eyes. Then, with a sudden giggle and smirk, Kenji's hands shot forward.
"Oro?" Kenshin stuttered in surprise as his son grasped his hair and began to pull forcefully. On instinct, Kenshin began to struggle back, causing both the child and his mother to laugh with amusement. Kenshin would have joined them in laughing himself, had he been watching.
"And you're the one who beat Makoto Shishio..." a voice called over the giggling and yelping. All three froze in place, Kenshin's fingers still trying to release himself from his sons death grip. However, despite Kenji's attention having moved away from the hair, his fingers remained as vise-like as possible.
Standing in the doorway was a young man, about sixteen, with spiky black hair and deep tan skin, though not nearly as dark as it had been when he'd first met the married couple. Only, they hadn't been married at that time.
He wore a blue haori with short sleeves, which was tucked in at the waist, vanishing beneath the white hakama with a thick blue stripe running through the bottom hem. Finally, blue wristbands made him appear more like a fighter, and finally, strapped to his waist, was a katana with a simple circle hilt and black sheath.
"Yahiko." Kenshin greeted, smiling, despite the fact that his hair was still a prisoner of his son.
"Kenshin." the former student of the Kamiya Kasshin style replied. Turning his head to Kaoru, he added "Hey there, Ugly."
"Hey!" Kaoru shrieked back, her eye twitching. She knew that her prized student did it only in teasing now that he was older, but it didn't mean that she had to just brush it off either. In a flash of movement, Kaoru delivered a hard punch downward, striking Yahiko's skull.
"Ow..." he muttered, rubbing his head. He could have avoided the hit, or blocked it even, but he didn't, simply for the sake of the fact that that's how their unique student-teacher relationship had worked out. In response to his rubbing his head, Kenji laughed, causing his arms to vibrate up and down slightly, causing Kenshin to once again voice his discomfort in the form of a series of hurridly repeated "ow's".
Dropping to his knee, just like Kenshin, Yahiko stared straight into Kenji's eyes, his eyes giving him a scrutinizing look. "You know, Kenshin, if you want to get him to let go, you sometimes need to get physical." he stated, his voice level. Kenshin gave his young friend a confused look as he narrowed his eyes, focusing hard on Kenji. "Kamiya Kasshin Style;" instantly Kenshin and Kaoru's eyes widened, horrified at what Yahiko was about to do. However, the young fighter was now much faster than he used to be, and his hands reached Kenji before either parent could take action. "Tickling Fingers of Discipline!"
Both parents stopped dead in their tracks as Yahiko began to furiously tickle their son, causing the young boy to squirm violently as he tried to breath. However, his wriggling also caused him to pull even harder on Kenshin's hair. Shrieking in surprise, Kenshin pulled at his hair back, trying to minimize the pain. In truth, it really didn't hurt him at all, as he had suffered far worse. Still, it didn't keep him from being startled and such.
Finally, after nearly a full minute of the rapid speed tickling, Kenji finally relinquished his father's hair, allowing Kenshin to pull his head back, trying to comb his hair back down, as it had been ruffled a good deal. Meanwhile, Yahiko continued to tickle the child a few seconds longer, all four sharing in a good laugh, though Kaoru definitely had the widest grin.
Rising to his feet, Yahiko brushed off his hakama and then reached his arm down to Kenji, who took it and used the older boy as a support while rising to his full height. Turning to Kenshin, Yahiko spoke.
"I just came to tell you that I'll miss our usual drink of sake tonight. When Tsubame heard that the sakura's were finally in full bloom this morning, she demanded that she and I go down to the river tonight and enjoy them." he explained.
"I shall miss it, that I shall." Kenshin replied solemnly, though his face revealed understanding. "We've shared sake every Friday night for the past year."
"Hey Kenshin," Kaoru suddenly interjected. "Why don't we go down to the river tonight as well? Just the two of us." To add emphasis, she gently wrapped her fingers around his forearm and leaned a bit of her weight onto her husband.
"But what about Kenji? If Yahiko and Tsubame will both be at the river, who could watch Kenji?" the red-haired man responded.
"You could always ask Sanosuke." Yahiko suggested. Both Kenshin and Kaoru's eyes bugged out at this as they looked at him with flustered looks on their faces.
"Are you crazy!" Kaoru shrieked. "If you think I'd let someone like Sanosuke Sagara watch over my child, you obviously learned nothing from me! Sanosuke is the worst possible candidate for this! Can you imagine what he'd do to Kenji? And while Kenji's at such a tender age, no less!"
Kenshin simply continued to eye Yahiko as if he had suddenly burst into flames, his jaw seemingly frozen in place.
Rubbing the back of his head, Yahiko chuckled at their reactions. "I know that. I was only kidding. I would never trust Sano with one of my kids either." Placing his finger against his lip in thought, Yahiko then added. "Come to think of it, you weren't much older than Kenji is now when Gohei Hiroma started at this dojo, were you? I guess that would explain why you're so violent. Guess that proves how the people around us in our youth affect how we turn out."
Yahiko was once again struck over the head, harder this time.
Scowling slightly, and with her arm still raised in a position that would enable her to attack again very quickly if need be, Kaoru addressed Kenshin. "I was thinking Megumi. She's done a great job with Ayame and Suzumi ever since Dr. Genzai passed away. I'm positive those three would love to watch Kenji." Smiling, Kenshin nodded.
With his finger gently pinched between his young teeth, a sign of curiosity, Kenji looked up at the three "adults", if they could be called that, wondering why they kept on saying his name.
"Anyway, enjoy the evening. I'll see you guys tonight." Yahiko waved, turning away from his friends. Friends he often felt as if he'd known them all his life, even though it had only been just shy of six years.
As Yahiko stepped through the large doors, something caught Kenshin's eye. On top of the archway of the door he saw some movement. Upon focusing more clearly on that specific spot, he noticed that the very air and tree branches seemed to be rippling, as if he were looking at them through a veil of water.
Seconds later he saw the blur move, as if leaping at Yahiko as he passed through the gate. Suddenly a second, faster blur met it in mid air, and Kenshin could have sworn he heard the sound of steel striking something hard, but brittle. Both "shadows" vanished from view after a short moment.
Shaking his head, Kenshin chose to ignore it. He had grown used to seeing such things. He'd been seeing and hearing them very frequently ever since he, Kaoru and their friends returned from the fierce battle with Enishi on his private island estate.
At first they had been extremely out of focus, when compared to how well he could see them now. Over the following four years they had very slowly become ever so slightly more focused, but that had stopped about a year ago, after he had given Yahiko the reversed blade sword as a coming of age gift.
"What is it, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked of her husband, a slightly worried look in her eyes. She knew Kenshin better than he often gave her credit for, and she knew that when he used his skills as a swordsman to focus on something that it was never a good thing. But why couldn't he let it go? He'd given up his sword; Yahiko had taken his place as the one who protected the week. He was supposed to stay with her and Kenji and never have to think about holding a sword ever again.
"It's nothing," he quickly said, turning towards the house. He had to make dinner. Smiling, he thought about how silly it seemed that he had been with Kaoru for many years now, and yet she still couldn't cook to save her life. Then again, his food was barely permissible, though it was welcomed amongst their friends. "That it is not."
XXXXXXXX
"I just love watching the sakuras fall." Kaoru sighed with a smile while she and Kenshin approached the dojo. The moon was high above them, like a guardian over the loving couple, providing elegant silver light. Silently, Kaoru leaned her head on Kenshin's shoulder as they walked.
"I can't say that I enjoy it so much." Kenshin said soberly. "They are beautiful, but I would much rather like it if nothing had to fall like that, that I would." He did not mention to her how he had been comparing the blossoms to himself earlier that day.
"I guess you're right." she sighed. "But still, when I finally do die some day, I want my soul to flutter through the sky, like a cherry blossom petal forever upon the wind." Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine herself in a flowing pink kimono, suspended in the air and fluttering across the sky, aimlessly, yet seemingly knowing where she was going.
Suddenly she was alerted as Kenshin's arm muscles tensed and his head began to scan some brush nearby. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but even then he could not make anything out in the shadows with just the pale moonlight. "What is it, Kenshin?"
"I had though I heard something, that I did. Didn't you?" he asked. She shook her head, suddenly growing nervous. Megumi had told Kenshin not to fight anymore after his fight with Enishi. He'd accumulated far too many injuries between the Revolution, the turmoil with Shishio, and then nearly being killed by Enishi and his rage. Kenshin's body literally could not last much longer if he continued to fight. Even if without fighting, Megumi told him his life would be cut shorter than many other men, despite the fact that practitioners of Hiten Mitsurugi actually seemed to maintain their health and youth much longer than just about any other human being on the planet. And now, here he was, preparing himself for a potential battle again.
Finally, Kenshin's body relaxed and he turned away from the brush and smiling reassuringly to Kaoru. She frowned in return. It was the same kind of smile he'd given her time and time again whenever there was a new threat on the horizon, such as when he'd smiled at her on May 11, 1878, the day that Toshimichi Okubo was assassinated by the boy, Soujiro Seta. Kenshin had known from the moment Lord Okubo explained the situation in Kyoto that he would go to that ancient capital city, and had deliberated it for days and days, just to help Kaoru and the others feel a shred of hope that he wouldn't leave. All that time long he'd smiling just like he was now.
When he saw that her frown did not subside, he exhaled deeply in defeat. "Tomorrow I'll go and meet with the Police Chief and tell him what I feel may be the case, and I will alert Yahiko." Still she did not soften her expression. "Very well, Kaoru, I will send a message to Saito in Kyoto tomorrow and ask him to come investigate, that I will." Pleased with this, she turned again forward. She had great faith in the Tokyo Police, as well as in Yahiko, but if it had Kenshin as worried as she feared, then she wanted at least Saito to come.
In truth, after learning that Saito had indeed survived the collapse of Shishio's fortress, Kaoru had been very relieved. Not only had it provided Kenshin with a powerful ally as he fought to save her from Enishi after she was abducted, but it meant that there was someone to call on when things became too dangerous in Tokyo for just Sanosuke and Yahiko.
Upon reaching the dojo, Kaoru allowed herself to more fully relax. Just like how a child feels more secure after having a bad dream just by being embraced by their mother, she now felt more at peace. The dojo was a safe place, a sanctuary for them and their friends. Even though they'd been attacked there twice, she couldn't help but feel protected there.
That's why the next few events would forever shake her to the core.
"Kaoru, get down!" Kenshin shouted very suddenly, placing a hand on her back and pushing her to the ground. In response she wanted to cry out to him and ask him why, but even before she touched the road, she felt Kenshin being thrown backwards, away from her.
Turning her head, Kaoru saw Kenshin crash to the ground on his back a few feet away from where they'd been standing. What was most disturbing, however, was that she could not see anyone else around them. 'What in the wor-' she pondered, cutting herself off as Kenshin began to pick himself up. As Kenshin began to rise, he stopped even before he got a single foot underneath himself, his eyes growing wide.
He'd pushed Kaoru to the ground because he'd seen another rippled image, only this one was very different than any other he'd ever seen. It was moving much faster, and it was moving towards them! However, he could not wrap his mind around whatever it was that had struck him to the ground. Up until that instant that he'd alerted Kaoru, he'd always thought of those blurred shapes as hallucinations brought upon himself as he neared the day that he would eventually reach the end of his days. But now he had both reacted to one as if it were dangerous, and then he'd actually felt it strike him, meaning it was real!
There it was, standing barely five feet away from him. It towered over him, and over just about any other opponent he'd ever faced, or at least seen as an ally of his fought. Bigger than Gohei, bigger than Anji, even bigger than Hyottoko of the Oniwaban group. In fact, the only being he could think of bigger than this opponent would have been Fuji, the giant that his master, Seijuro Hiko XIII, had defeated while he himself had been facing off against Makoto Shishio.
Not only was it massive, but because he could never see it clearly, it was extremely hard to keep track of at night.
At least, it would have been, had it still been nearly invisible to him. For some reason, after being hit to the ground, Kenshin could see the creature for what it truly was. Now he could see that it was some sort of dog creature, only it stood on two legs and had two massive arms. It was covered in dark fur, and each of its limbs was thick with muscle, and probably thick, heavy bones. But what startled Kenshin the most was that it wore a thick white mask over its face, giving it an even more demonic appearance than it already had.
'What is this? It walks like a man, but bares the resemblance of a demon!' he asked himself, but for the first time in all of his years as a warrior, he could not discern anything from his opponent. He'd been able to see the flaws in Hajime Saito's Gatotsu, he'd seen Aoshi's deadly Goku Juujiand broken through it less than a second before it would have removed his head, and he'd even been able to realize that Shishio's sword collected the fats and oils from the people he cut with it, which he could then ignite using friction to light the sword on fire. But now, when he found himself against an opponent unlike any he'd ever faced before, he could think of nothing to do.
Kenshin's thoughts were cut short when he was forced to roll to the side as the beast lunged at him, aiming to ram him with its heavy mask.
"Kenshin, what are you doing?" Kaoru begged of him, much to Kenshin's surprise. Couldn't she see the monster? Then he realized that for some reason, only he could see it. Was it possible that he could do to his swordsman spirit, much like how he'd been able to break from Jin-e's Shin no Ippo when others couldn't.
Turning to eye the red-haired man wearily, the beast's eyes glinted for a moment with a dangerous blood-red light. Then, to Kenshin's shock and disgust, he could have sworn he heard a low chuckle of amusement emanating from it. Then, to his further shock, it spoke!
"Interesting. You can see me, human? I haven't ever seen that before. Not only that, but you have managed to avoid my attacks. Not many can claim that. Yes, you have amazing reiatsu. I shall enjoy devouring you, and then perhaps I shall eat the girl as well as a sort of desert." it chuckled again in a deep voice which froze the blood in Kenshin's veins.
And at that moment, for the first time in his life, Kenshin realized he was against an opponent that he could never defeat. Not even if he were at his strongest could he defeat this creature of some unknown realm.
"I don't know what you are." he muttered, standing up. "I know that I could never defeat you. However, whatever it is that you are, and no matter how strong you may be, I will not allow you to harm Kaoru, that I most certainly will not!"
As he said these words, Kaoru was torn on the inside, feeling touched by his words, but at the same time wracked with confusion. Who was he talking to? What was he talking about?
"Has he finally started to fall apart on me? Megumi said he had at least ten more years before this would happen."
"You're a feisty one." the monster laughed as Kenshin avoided his large clawed hand.
Spinning on his heel, Kenshin tried to think of something he could do, but again and again he found himself without an answer. The thing was just too big!
No, it's not that it was too big. There was something about this monster that ensured that, regardless of speed or strength, Kenshin could never beat it.
So caught up in thought was Kenshin that he did not notice the swinging arm of the monster, sweeping him off of his feet and sending him sprawling along the ground, coming to a stop at the base of a tree.
"Please," he breathed deeply, but the air did not come easily. The creatures attacks were much more powerful than Kenshin had expected if a casual stroke could render him so powerless. Slowly the monster walked up to him, and Kenshin knew it was grinning, even though its lips were hidden by its mask. "Please, spare Kaoru. I admit I could never stop you, that I can not, but I beg of you to search deep within your heart and find some sense of honor and respect for my sacrifice." Kenshin's words were met with another deep laugh.
"Why should I bargain, when I can take?"
"There will be no meal for you, Hollow!"
Kenshin's head snapped up in surprise as a blur of motion entered his vision. Though he could not clearly see what it was, it had somehow managed to strike the monster in the face, sending it crashing to the ground, kicking up dust.
He tried to pick himself up to try and better see what had happened, but found that he could barely move. Not only that, but his breathing was still ragged and weak. He tried for a minute to focus on getting his breath back, but found that even then it was a struggle. Not only that, but it wasn't because his lungs felt weak that he was having trouble. No, it was because the air felt so thick!
"Kenshin! Kenshin!" he immediately moved his focus from himself when he heard his beloved wife's voice ring in his ears. Turning his head back and forth, he tried to find her. "Kenshin, please get up! Please! Wake up!" he heard her sob.
"But I am awake, that I am." he found himself saying allowed as he saw her hunched over shadow through the dust coming into focus. However, if she heard him, she did not do anything to signal that she did.
A sudden gust of wind suddenly brushed by, blowing the dust aside, and what Kenshin saw struck him deep to the core with fear...
Kaoru was leaning over him, tears running down her cheeks! Except, she was several feet away from him, and he was also several feet away from himself!
No, that just didn't make any sense! How could he be both by Kaoru, as well as against the tree?
Then he saw it. Running along the ground between himself and the red-haired figure which Kaoru was sobbing over was a long silver chain. Tilting his head down, he was startled to see that the chain was actually bolted into his chest!
"What is going on?" he asked of no one in particular.
"Your soul has been separated from your body." a voice called out of the dust as another gust of wind washed over the field, this one stronger, dissipating all of the remaining dust. Kenshin instantly recognized the voice as the same one that had called out before the monster was knocked back.
'He called it a Hollow, though. Why is it known as a Hollow?' he found himself asking.
Lifting his head from the bolt in his chest and shaking away his questions, Kenshin examined his savior. He was a tall man, though not as imposing as either Aoshi or Hiko. In fact, he actually looked quite young, just as Kenshin did. He had black hair that was cut short, and he wore black clothes just like Kenshin's. In his hands was a sword, long and thin, with a guard shaped like the wings of a large bird.
Lifting his sword and resting the back edge on his shoulder, the newcomer scowled at the Hollow, as it had been formally addressed. "I find it odd, Hollow, that you and your kind keep on coming to this dojo. I've stationed my patrol here for the past few years, and it's made it quite easy to kill you all, since you each keep coming here. Is that mans reiatsu that appealing to you?"
"You could never understand, Death God. You've never eaten a soul, so you can't understand what it's like. You sustain yourself on weak souls for decades, and then finally you manage to somehow get a stronger soul. Suddenly, you can't even force yourself to eat anything weaker than the previous one because the difference is that great." the Hollow replied.
'Devouring souls?' Kenshin pondered, lacking the strength to speak much. Turning his head again, he saw that Kaoru was still leaning over his body, and that Megumi was coming. Of course all the racket would attract the young doctor.
'I need to get back into my body. But how?' Kenshin asked himself. He didn't even understand how he'd been separated in the first place.
"Hollow, I cannot allow you to keep on doing as you please." the man in black robes, whom the Hollow had referred to as a Death God, pointed his sword at the monster. "I, Reizo Kagirinai, Fourth Chair of the Tenth Squad of the Gotei-13 will not allow you to continue doing as you please."
Again the Hollow chuckled. "A Fourth Chair, is it? Well then, perhaps I should eat you for desert instead of that bitch."
"You're welcome to try." Reizo responded. "But I sincerely doubt you could ever succeed, even if there were five of you."
The Hollow once again laughed, but it seemed he had grown weary of words, and instead charged forward. Pulling his right arm back, the Hollow formed a fist and punched forward.
Reizo responded by lifting his right foot and pivoting backwards on his left toes, side-stepping the attack while at the same time remaining in the exact same spot. "Too slow." he said, swinging his sword down and then up in a tight arc, slashing the Hollow of the center of its body. Howling in pain, the beast jumped backwards, putting some distance between himself and the Death God.
'Impressive.' Kenshin noted from his prone position. 'He avoided that attack with the perfect margin to ensure that the attack missed, but at the same time enabling a perfect counterattack.'
Bloody dripping from the cut on its chest, the Hollow took a minute to catch its breath. It was obviously annoyed that the attack had failed so miserably, as well as startled by such a perfect counter. Finally, once it had regained some stamina, it lunged again, this time its jaws open wide and claws brandished at the sides, attacking with all three at once.
However, Reizo responded by jumping into the air, soaring several feet above the Hollow, twisting his body, and slashing downward as he descended, cutting a large gash in its back. The Hollow stumbled forward in pain, falling to a single knee.
"It's pointless to continue this." Reizo commented, his tone remaining even. "Just surrender and allow me to send you on to Soul Society."
"You think you've won this, Death God?" the Hollow laughed. "You fail to see that it is I who hold the advantage."
"What are you talking about?" the Death God demanded.
"This!" the Hollow shouted, lunging again. However, this time he did not aim for Reizo. He was charging for Kenshin!
Seein this, Reizo bolted into action, seeming to disappear and then reappear again and again with each step, each time closing a large gap. However, the Hollow had a head start, and had been closer to Kenshin to begin with.
Eyes wide, Kenshin watched as the beast charged him. He couldn't move. He'd already tried that, and it had been nearly impossible.
Mouth gaping wide, the Hollow prepared to devour Kenshin. However, he was suddenly stopped as a spiral of wind struck him in the side, toppling him over. Kenshin's head bolted to the direction that the wind had come from, and saw that Reizo no stood in a stance with his sword held flat, showing that he'd just performed a horizontal slash.
"Did he...fire that wind from his sword?" Kenshin asked himself.
Raising to his feet, the Hollow snarled and turned a fierce set of eyes upon Reizo. "You're becoming very irritating."
"Spare me." Reizo responded, slashing at the air, and to Kenshin's surprise another stream of wind erupted from the tip of his sword, so heavily condensed that it was visible. It struck fast, ripping through the air silently and striking the Hollow in the face, knocking it onto its back.
As the Hollow lifted itself up again, Kenshin noticed that there was now a large set of cracks in its mask. Panting hard, it tried to rise to its feet, but found itself unable to move.
"This is the end for you, Hollow." Reizo declared, walking towards his fallen foe.
"Stop it!" Kenshin suddenly found himself shouting, rising to his feet, grabbing Reizo's attention quickly. "You've won, that you have. Just both of you, leave, now."
"You do not understand, Himura." Reizo replied. "I've been watching you for years now. I know about you and your desires to protect the weak and to never kill. Understand that this is different. This foul thing devours peoples souls, erasing them from existence as a whole. Furthermore, I will not be killing it, I will b-" he was cut off as the Hollow began to laugh again.
"How interesting. Yes, the small one is obviously without the slightest inkling of understanding concerning the ways of Death Gods and Hollows."
"Nor will he need to once I finish with you!" Reizo shouted back, lifting his sword above his head and leaping into the air, preparing a powerful slash. The Hollow remained in place, two weak to dodge.
"No, stop!" Kenshin shouted. But his pleas fell on deaf ears. Neither the Hollow nor the Death God seemed to care about his words or ideals. All they could focus on was each other.
As he descended, Reizo grasped the inner part of his hilt to add extra power and control to his swing. However, he couldn't get it out of his head how odd it was that the Hollow did not seem to care at all that it was about to be destroyed. It even seemed to be smiling, though with Hollows that was often hard to discern.
Then he saw it. Quicker than could be expected, the Hollow lifted up its arms, holding in its clenched fists a section of a metal chain! Eyes wide, Reizo tried to stop his attack, but it was far too late. There was nothing he could do, and his blade struck.
For a moment, it seemed as if time had frozen. The Hollow continued to grin that wicked grin as his plan came together. Reizo watched in absolute horror as his attack connected. Kenshin watched in confusion, positive that this would not end well, but he had no idea as to what the results would be.
The pause only lasted for less than a second as Reizo's blade struggled against the chain for only a moment before severing it. However, it had been slowed enough. With a howl of joy, the Hollow reached forward with its clawed arm and thrust all five nails into Reizo, each on puncturing at a different point and piercing clear through him and out the back.
However, the Hollow had underestimated Reizo's resolve, and so could not react as the curved sword cut through its mask, releasing a line of light in its wake. Seconds later the Hollow dissolved, leaving Kenshin and the wounded Reizo, while Kaoru wept over Kenshin's body and Megumi continued her examination.
"Himura," Reizo coughed from his position on the ground. Instantly Kenshin found himself on his feet and by his side, despite the fact that moments before he could barely move. "Listen to me. That was your Chain of Fate that I just cut. Without it, you cannot return to your body, and without that, your body cannot maintain itself."
"What are you saying?" Kenshin asked, though he knew what was meant.
"Himura, I am sorry. From the bottom of my heart, with all of my being, I am sorry. Had I known that would happen, I would have tried to return you to your body first. I honestly did not expect the Hollow to desire so strongly to slay you." Reizo said, his voice growing weak.
"That doesn't matter." Kenshin declared. "You need to hold in there, that you do."
"No, it is no good." Reizo coughed, blood bubbling from his mouth and dripping down his cheeks. "I was never truly powerful, like other Death Gods. I was an expert of Zanjutsu, and rose to my rank solely by merit of my sword skills. I do not have the reiatsu needed to halt death."
"No, you mustn't give up. You have to hold on, that you do!" Kenshin nearly shouted.
"Himura, no matter how desperately I want to live, I can't change what has happened this night. However, I can try and change what is inevitable." As he said this, Reizo reached to his side and grabbed his sword. "This Soul Slayer...is named Amakaze. I cannot give you power, Himura, but Amakaze can teach you and guide you through the next set of trials you will face. Now that your Chain of Fate is severed...you will die. And...eventually, what remains of the chain...will erode itself...Amakaze will give you instruction of what you should do to prepare for that time."
With those last words, Reizo's body went limp as the blood pooled around him. Kenshin continued to watch, his eyes trembling with horror as he watched the man who had saved him vanish from existence as a whole.
Barely over a minute later, Megumi lifted her ear away from Kenshin's chest, a look of denial in her eyes. "I never though I would ever be the one to actually say it." she managed to say, finally, trying her best to hold her tears back. "But...but..."
"Megumi..." Kaoru said the doctors name, leaning forward. "Megumi...what is it Megumi? Megumi, say something, will you!"
"I...I can't!" Megumi cried back. "I...he...Sir Ken...Sir Ken...is...is..." by now both women were bawling with tears. They both knew the truth. "Sir Ken...is dead."
To Be Continued...
There you have it, the beginning to what I hope will be a successful story. Yes, I know that the quality of the writing went down towards the end, but I was trying desperately to finish it tonight.
For now, look forward to the next installment. And while you wait, check out Seeker of the Soul's Bleach fic "Formless and Fearless". See ya.