Twice the Debauchery
A Rurouni Kenshin Fan-Fiction
Synopsis: Two months into dating, Kenshin and Kaoru live deceptively mundane lives. Kaoru, 21 years old, studies at a high-ranking university in Tokyo as a music major. Kenshin, 32, is a successful and well-respected neurosurgeon at the local hospital. Despite their strong feelings for one another, both have been hiding a very big secret: they are both assassins working under adversarial syndicates. During their last assignment, they cross paths on opposite sides of the coin.
PART FOUR: When Everything Was New
Kaoru: It was raining profusely tonight, the steady downpour a lavish nocturne of sound-baths. The breath of the coming winter twisted the air crisp and needlelike, each inhale an invigorating prick to my whole respiratory system. Despite an acute awareness, the sensations went ignored. Like an open nerve, I was sensitive to everything going on around me – the guard taking a piss in the corner toward my left, the mouse that was scurrying under the crawlspace of the gardening shed, the drops of water that accumulated at the tips of my hair and dropped to the floor with a splat.
I pealed the hem of my glove back to reveal the watch at my wrist – ten seconds until my descent. I readjusted the glove back over the instrument. Six seconds – stillness, and a resounding silence. My diaphragm contracts as I inhale deeply, though the breath is short-lived and eludes my lungs; I exhale.
I leap from the gargoyle I was perched upon, descending into the shadows to rise in the darkness. Working my way out-to-in, I start with the guards furthest from the main infrastructure, plucking them off one by one. Though a slayer, I am merciful towards my prey: they never see it coming.
Swift, cunning, agile – I don't spare a single tick of the clocks hand. Two deadly accurate knives glide off dexterous fingers and into the side of one of my victim's neck and temple, his blood splattering on the face of his comrade adjacent to him. Before my next target has time to process the situation he is currently in, I am already plunging my blade into his chest cavity through his heart. As he collapses I pull the blade out and flick the blood off with a sharp rotation of my wrist. The metallic scent of their insides rises in the air with a pungent tang, mingling with the earthy scents of rainfall.
His warmth and face come to mind in a flash of momentary longing: a curtain of red tresses, squinty eyes adorned with crow feet, and enflamed cheeks. White sheets, tangled limbs and pressed beneath the warmth of his eyes. It had only been three days, but the last memories of him felt distant and out of reach. As if in synch with a reverberating strike of thunder, a sharp pulse of guilt washes over me. I push all emotion and attachment to the recesses of my mind. I was distracted, and that was a big no-no in this game.
This was my last job before I could walk away from macabre; butchering it was not an option. I only had to deal with inside the manor now, and then Takeda himself.
Kenshin: Instinct and a seasoned intuition was screaming something askew. As I prowl through the courtyards with cautious confidence, my eyes flicker to a slug-trail of upturned gravel and washed out blood – someone else was here, presumably another hitman. I kneel beside one of the bodies to inspect the ballistics to get a gist of who I was up against. Whoever it was, they were skilled to say the least.
Striding past mutilated corpses through the crimson splattered corridors of the over-the-top mansion, I come to an immediate halt at the sound of shuffled patters and a muffled thud. The sliding door 10 feet ahead of me to my right opens slowly; I stand my ground, I have no intention of cowering. I place a tentative hand at the hilt of my sword and broaden my stance in readiness.
Adorned in a tight black jumpsuit with fishnet trimming at the joints, she was fierce, unfaltering and petite in figure. The catty air around her spoke tenacity: she wasn't going to back down. Our eyes lock onto each other in a tense standstill. At first icy, her gaze turns to that of confusion and bewilderment, her grip on the short sword in hand loosening in momentary distraction. I take the window of opportunity; my body springs forward into action, eyes set to kill.
Kaoru: He fails to recognize me, but I see him clearly. He launches towards me in a sea of red; but I refuse to raise my weapon towards my beloved. I tug at the hem of the black cloth shielding the bottom half of my face, it is moist with freshly spilled blood; I do this so that he may see me. The sword I was holding so firmly a second ago slips from my grip and clatters to the floor.
His blade comes down upon me without hesitation, I close my eyes, embracing what is to come.
Next chapter will be the last (but who knows I've been saying that for the past couple chapters). My apologies for dropping the ball; amongst moving, working full-time, studying to become a personal trainer, and experiencing immense personal growth, I've been damn busy. Alas, I will be finishing both my fictions within the near future so bear with me. I will try to write them in a way so that you won't need to reference past chapters to jump in on the fun.
