Chapter One
Kenshin sighed as he began his day. It was the fourth day into the long wait between his first encounter with Enishi in ten years, and the first battle to ever be fought against the man Enishi had become.
"It seems Shishou was right about the unforeseen consequences." Kenshin mused, as he shook the water from his face and hair, then went and retrieved the basket he used when he went grocery shopping.
"Kenshin! Are you going out?" Kaoru asked.
"Aa. Sessha is going grocery shopping. We're running low on some things, so sessha decided to go ahead and get them!" Kenshin replied, smiling when Kaoru gave him a slightly flustered look.
"If you'd just told me that you were planning on going out, then I would have gone with you!" Kaoru shouted, with a little frustration in her voice as she said that.
"If you want to come along, Kaoru-dono, then it's fine with sessha." Kenshin said, trying his best to act normal, despite the nagging feeling of dread that remained deep within him.
"Okay! Wait right there!" Kaoru shouted, before quickly shutting the shoji to the training hall, and rushing to get ready to go.
"There isn't a thing I can do about the past, but, to protect the future..." Kenshin thought, as a gentle smile emerged on his careworn features, his ears taking in all of the sounds of the dojo and his eyes capturing the sights he'd come to love.
"I'll do what I can to protect this era, and the people who live in it." Kenshin mused, as he watched Kaoru emerge from the dojo, tell Yahiko to train hard while she is out, and rush over to him; neither of them realizing just what lay around the corner...
He'd been on the path since three days before. Beneath him, the horse he'd 'borrowed' plodded onward, occasionally groaning in discomfort at the searing heat that sapped the strength from both of their bodies.
"Tokyo shouldn't be too far ahead now...I just hope I don't bleed dry before I get there." the man on the horse's back mused, as he struggled to remain upright in the saddle; damaged muscles burning in protest to any movement on his part. To his relief, the city appeared before him not too long afterwards; shimmering in the summer sun like a mirage.
"Now...to find the dojo..." the man thought, as he urged the horse into a faltering trot; wanting to reach his destination before the last of his strength left him. People looked up and watched as he rode into the city; a few of them even shuddered when they saw his eyes.
"Hey. We don't allow swords in this city. Hand it over." a man's voice demanded, getting the rider's attention off of his waning strength, for the moment.
"Try taking it." the rider snarled back, glaring dangerously at him in response to the demand. The policeman (as the other man turned out to be) backpedaled when he saw the rider's eyes. They glowed a brilliant shade of amber from under the dark bangs that shielded them from the sun.
"The eyes of a hitokiri!" the policeman thought, as he stumbled backwards away from the rider, and the rider urged his tired mount to continue on.
"Hold it! Stop right where you are and dismount!" the policeman shouted, realizing what the next step would have to be, yet cringing when the rider did indeed stop, and glance back at him.
"Why? Under whose authority am I to dismount? Certainly not yours'." the rider retorted, his eyes seeming to burn holes through the policeman's soul.
"Under my authority, then." another voice ordered, calmly. The rider turned his attention to the newcomer and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Fujita-san!" the policeman yelped, relieved that a superior officer had just arrived on the scene.
"Hmm...You look as though you've been through hell, swordsman." 'Fujita' murmured, as analyzed the rider's ki carefully.
"Surviving a vendetta isn't exactly the easiest thing to do." the rider replied, as he slowly dismounted and stood before 'Fujita'. Silently, 'Fujita' had to agree, now that the rider was standing in front of him, he could see what had been previously hidden; several serious-looking sword wounds could be seen on the other man's chest and stomach, and blood dripped freely from those and some lighter cuts on his face. And yet, it was the injury to the man's face that got 'Fujita's' attention...Even though the cuts weren't deep, and would heal in time, they formed an all-too-familiar marking.
"So it seems. Where were you going, in the state you're in?" Fujita asked, as he watched the swordsman hand the reins of the horse to the other officer, but maintain a strong grip on his sword.
"Kamiya Dojo." the swordsman stated, then added, "It seems I have a part to play in a madman's Jinchuu as well."
"Hmm...Very well. The dojo isn't too far away from here. You should be able to make it." Fujita muttered, and watched as the swordsman walked away; heading in the direction he'd just pointed out to him.
"But Fujita-san! What if he starts killing? He had a killer's eyes!" the policeman said, shocked that his superior had allowed the warrior to go.
"Fool. Even I wouldn't have had the strength to overcome him. He may be wounded, but he's far from dead...At least, for now." Fujita retorted, his voice trailing off into a whisper as he saw the man disappear around a corner.
"Even I would stand no chance against that particular swordsman." Fujita thought, grimly, remembering the brief glint of rage in the older man's amber eyes, and that it had appeared at he mention of the word 'Jinchuu'.
Yahiko grumbled as he finished his training for the day, and waited for Kenshin and Kaoru to return from their shopping trip. From what he could tell, he was the only one within the dojo at that time.
"With six days left till the battle, all that can be done now is wait." Yahiko mused, looking up and giving Tsubame a slight smile when she entered the training hall with some food.
"Tae-san sent me here with some lunch, since she wasn't sure if anyone else would be here." Tsubame murmured, uncertainly, as she sat down in front of where he kneeled, and started unpacking the food.
"Arigato, Tsubame. I really appreciate it." Yahiko replied, sounding a little more subdued than normal.
"You're welcome, Yahiko-kun..." Tsubame replied, trailing off into silence; uncertain as to where the conversation should go next. Moments later, a crash in the back part of the dojo grounds distracted them from the meal; and Yahiko was quick to grab his shinai and head towards it.
"Yahiko-kun..." Tsubame whispered, afraid that another attack was beginning.
"Stay here. I'll be back in a minute." Yahiko replied, before rushing in the direction of the sound. With more speed than what he could have given himself credit for, Yahiko dashed towards the back entrance of the dojo keep; ready for a fight, but sincerely wishing he could sense whether or not his home was truly being attacked.
"I wish I had the ability to sense ken-ki! It'd make things a whole lot easier!" Yahiko thought, as he skidded around a corner, and found himself face to face with a sight he had definitely not been expecting. The man in front of him had obviously jumped over the fence that surrounded the dojo, since he was still kneeling where he'd landed. And yet, what really got Yahiko's attention was the fact that the man was wearing a white mantle...and that he appeared to be pretty badly injured as well.
"Seijuro-sensei...is that you?" Yahiko heard himself ask, disbelief and horror finding their way into his voice as he spoke. In response to his name, the man looked up at him.
"Oh Kami-sama..." Yahiko's mind muttered, when he saw the haggard look on the man's face, and his now amber eyes.
"Seeing you here...I guess means that I have made it..." Hiko, as the man so happened to be, gasped, as he struggled to get to his feet; leaning heavily on his sheathed sword as he did so.
"Yeah...but what're you doing here?" Yahiko asked, as shock gave way to worry. Hiko only gave him a pained smile, a smile that only made his eyes look even more feral.
"You'll have to ask Kenshin about that." Hiko replied, cryptically. It took only a few seconds for Yahiko to realize what Hiko was saying, and, when he did, it froze him to his core.
"Yukishiro Enishi's Jinchuu...He's targeted you as well..." Yahiko muttered, feeling sick to his stomach at the thought. Hiko only nodded slightly in response, and followed the boy as he numbly led him into the dojo itself.
"Yahiko-kun! What the...?" Tsubame yelped, her voice freezing in her throat when she beheld the man Yahiko had found.
"Tsubame, go and get Megumi. Hurry." Yahiko urged, getting a nod from Tsubame before she rushed off to do just that.
"He even got to Hiko Seijuro, Kenshin's master...and reopened a lot of his wounds..." Yahiko thought, as he watched the swordmaster wearily sit down against the far wall; his face pale and drawn.
"What kind of enemy is Yukishiro Enishi, anyway?"
Author's Note!
Yeah, I realize that this may be a kinda crummy chapter, but I had sorta a rough night last night (thunderstorm knocked out the power, so the air-conditioner wasn't working. Didn't sleep worth a darn). I hope this chapter made at least some sense... (If not, then please let me know)
Gemini14