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Disclaimer: Once again, I take no ownership of this wonderful, awesome, great, superb, amazing, incredible, exciting, stupendous, super, super anime show! Do you think that was enough words to describe it? Nope, didn't think so, but if you wanted me to write them all, we would be here for a long time....
Scars of the Past
Chapter Four
'...' indicates thought
*...* indicates emphasis
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From last time:
"Kenshin-San," said Tsubame, "Misao had a traveling partner and we invited him to tea with us. Do you mind?" Oh yeah, now things were going to get interesting.
"Of course not." Kenshin looked up at the figure who had been standing in the gate entrance. "Soujiro?" he asked, his voice tinged with surprise.
"Hello Himura-San," said the former Tenken, his gaze flicking to me with a look of question. He was probably wondering why I never bothered to tell him that he'd be seeing Himura.
"Soujiro, huh?" Sano rose from his spot on the porch, his hands clenching into fists, a firey gleam in his eyes. "I think it's time I get you back for what you did to Kenshin."
He launched himself off the porch, running incredibly fast at the unmoving Soujiro. "YOU'RE GONNA DIE!"
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*Yahiko POV*
I watched in shock as Soujiro just stood there as Sanosuke ran towards him, this look of deep hatred in my older friend's eyes. It appeared that Sano knew Misao's traveling companion and it didn't look like they got along at all. I wonder why, Sano got along great with everyone, well as best as he could with Megumi.
Then, my defense action kicked in as I realized that Tsubame was standing right next to Soujiro. If Sano was to miss and hit Tsubame.... A low growl sounded in my throat and I glanced first at Sano, then Soujiro, then Tsubame, who looked completly terrified. And that's when I made my move.
Racing forward, I sprinted for her as Sano charged the smiling boy both of us racing against the other. I don't think Sanosuke knew he was putting Tsubame in danger or otherwise I think he would have stopped.
I lunged forward, my feet picking off the ground, flying towards her in a graceful leap. My body collided with hers, both of us rolling out of the way and off to the side as Sano pounded right past the spot Tsubame had been standing on earlier.
I smiled up at her, seeing as she was on top of me. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked softly, my breath blowing the stray hairs that had fallen on her face.
She just rested her head on my chest and didn't move. I guess she was still in a state of shock. Carefully, I rolled her off of me and stood up, then reaching down and scooping her into my arms, making my way carefully back to the porch.
After setting her down gently I looked back out at the two people in the yard. Actually, it looked more like just Sanosuke was out there, the other guy had disappeared. "Kenshin, what's going on?" I asked, turning towards the man who was watching Sano with concern. "Who is that guy?"
"That's Tenken no Soujiro," piped up Misao from her spot on the porch. "I ran into him on the way here and I let him tag along."
Wait, I've heard of the Tenken before. He was Shishio Makoto's right hand man. And he was the guy who beat Kenshin up pretty bad in Kyoto. "Isn't he the bad guy?" I blurted out. "He was with Shishio!"
"Soujiro has seen the wrong he has done, that he has," stated Kenshin. "He left to go find the truth that he did. Sanosuke unfortunately doesn't know about the choice Soujiro made."
"So you're just going to sit here and let that guy kill Sanosuke?" I asked, feeling myself turning into my battle spirit. Sano was my friend and I wasn't going to let him just die like this.
"I don't think Soujiro's going to kill him," said Misao. "When he uh....well when he defeated these guys he didn't kill them. So I don't think he is going to kill Sano. Maybe bang him around a little but not kill him."
"Well where did he go? Sano is the only person out there and he keeps punching at thin air. What's up with that?" I asked, feeling it was unfair that Soujiro could turn invisible at will.
"He is out there," said Kenshin, "But he is using the shukuchi, his favorite method of fighting. The shukuchi is composed of very fast footwork that makes the user gain incredible distance in a very short amount of time. Right now, Sanosuke can hear it but he can't see him because Soujiro is so fast."
"Why don't we just tell Sano so they can stop fighting?"
"Sanosuke is still upset with events at Kyoto. He would love nothing more than to do some serious damage to Soujiro. Unfortunately, Sano cannot see him and right now Soujiro is only toying with him. He is moving around, making Sano frustrated but yet he doesn't attack."
"I see..."
*End Yahiko POV*
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*Sanosuke POV*
I could feel the frustration mounting inside me as each punch of my fist, each swing of my arm only hit air. I could see him smiling at me in my mind, the grin taunting me, knowing that I couldn't hit it. What made it worse is he hadn't even tried to attack me, waiting for me, which meant we'd be here a long time. And at this rate, I would be so wiped out he could probably beat me really easily.
"DAMN IT TENKEN! STOP IT WITH THAT FAST MOVING THING YOU'RE DOING AND FIGHT ME FACE TO FACE!"
At once, the slight buzzing noise, the only indication to me of where he was, stopped and the Tenken stood a few feet in front of me, his hand resting on his sword, as if anticipating and getting ready to counter my next move.
"I don't wish to fight you Sagara-San," he stated, still wearing that smile. "Might we be able to settle this in a reasonable manner?"
I growled, anger rising steadily. After what he did to Kenshin he wanted to sit down, have a cup of tea, and talk? I think not. "ALL I WANT TO DO IS POUND YOUR FACE IN! NOW STAND STILL AND LET ME!"
"I really don't like to be hit Sagara-San, so no." I lunged at this moment, the second he was unguarded, but the stupid kid seemed to know what I was going to do and moved to the side calmly as I flew past him.
Okay, now I was angry. He was making a fool out of me and Kenshin, Jou-Chan, Yahiko, Misao, and Tsubame -well not the last one, it looked like she was still in shock- were just sitting there and watching.
"You really wish to fight me, don't you Sagara-San?" asked the Tenken as I turned around for another desperate run at him.
"Hell yeah, but I can't even hit you if you do that shukuchi thing of yours."
"How about this. I won't use my shukuchi and we'll consider it a fair fight. If I win, you stop trying to attack me. If you win, well... I won't even consider that since I never lose, except to Himura-San."
"FINE! YOU'RE ON!"
The Tenken withdrew his sword from the sheath around his waist and turned the blade around. "I don't wish to hurt you too badly," he said cheerfully.
All common sense, all strategies fled my mind as white hot rage took over. When you insult Sagara Sanosuke you've gone too far. Thinking so far ahead, over confident that little-
Back on the porch, Misao started to laugh hysterically, tears streaming down her face. Kaoru glanced at her younger friend worriedly. "Is everything all right Misao?"
"Oh no, I'm fine, it's just... it's just what Soujiro....what Soujiro..said...." she dissolved into hysterics again, clutching the pole to keep herself from falling off the porch.
"What did Soujiro say?" questioned Kenshin.
"When one of those guys he beat up said that he would beat Soujiro, Smiley Boy said that one should never assume you can win... and he basically just disregarded his own advice." .
A smile formed on Kenshin's face "I think Soujiro just got a bit mixed up, that's all. I don't think he pertains his ideas to himself, seeing as he prides himself on being close to the best, which he is."
"Be quiet," hissed Yahiko. "If he's as good as you say, I want to see him fight." The whole group smiled at each other and quieted down, all of them wanting to see this as well.
"Now promise me this Tenken, you're not going to go easy on me."
"I promise. I'll even let you attack first, seeing as you have no weapon."
"You're going to regret that!" I charged, my feet pounding on the hard ground, both fists raised at the still unmoving boy, who held his kantana out in front of him in a guard position. But right before I reached him he zoomed towards the left, not shukuchi but still incredibly fast.
Whirling around, I intercepted his blade with my hands and held it in a tight hold. I must pride myself on one thing, once I grab onto something I don't easily let go. He tried to wrench it, but I firmly refused to loosen my grip, although I could feel the blade cutting into my skin, seeing the blood dripping through my clenched fingers.
Then, with a final pull, the Tenken managed to retrieve his sword and retreated a safe distance, examining the blade for any damage my hands might have done. Bad for me, it looked like the sword had inflicted more injury to me than I had to it.
A examined my hands again, clenching it into a powerful fist. I glanced at my fist then back to Soujiro, who was still looking at his blade, and an idea began to form in my mind. Honestly, I knew I couldn't beat him like this, even without his shukuchi because the kantana could cover more space then my arm. But if I managed to delete his number one strategy from the game, I might have a chance.
After a few more seconds the Tenken got ready to charge me again. But this time I knew what to do.... I just had to act quickly, I wouldn't be able to hold him off for long with only one arm. Soujiro charged, covering the large amount of ground in fairly short time, faster than I had anticipated, but still I was ready.
Looping out, my left hand grasped the shimmering sword by the blade, and then, quickly bringing my right hand around, I yelled "FUTAE NO KIWAMI!" Soujiro's eyes widened as he saw what was about to happen and he was powerless to stop it.
My right fist smashed into the kantana, blowing it into little pieces of metal. I instinctively closed my eyes and I felt the Tenken release his grip on the sword and jump backwards, probably to protect himself from the piercing bits of metal.
Opening my eyes, I was met with the sight of the Tenken, a bleeding gash on his left cheek where the sword had cut him, holding nothing and staring at me, his smile gone, replaced by a look of thoughtful seriousness.
"I underestimated you," he said softly. "I never expected you to go for my sword. Guess I'll just be fighting with no weapon now, same as you. But don't count me out yet, a few lessons without a sword are never far behind the real talent."
I could feel a grin spreading across my face. Right now, I probably looked like an idiot, but I didn't care. No matter what the Tenken said, I had the upper hand, having done street fighting for a good part of my life. Now a chance, and a pretty good one too, to win.
The Tenken slowly brought his hands to his sides and inhaled slowly. And then, a wind began to stir, his gi blowing backwards in the sudden wind that seemed to come from him. The wind continued to grow stronger, as he stood completly still, a spiral going around him. I put my hand in front of my face to shield it. Suddenly, I didn't feel so confident anymore.
He raised his hands in a position that was normally used for battojutsu and the wind stopped, his eyes narrowed in concentration. Without warning, he sprung towards me, myself only just able to block his punch to my upper jaw. Right now it seemed I was going to have to be on guard.
"Hey Himura, what just happened?" asked a puzzled ninja. "One minute it looked like Sano had the advantage, and now I'm not so sure..."
"That was Soujiro's ki. Normally, he has it locked inside of him, hence the always happy emotion. That is the only thing he can feel. But when other emotions surface, the ki is let from its hold and you can actually feel it. That's what that wind is, but unfortunately for Sanosuke, that was only a small portion of the ki locked inside Soujiro."
"That means Sano's in trouble, isn't he?" asked the ten year old samurai.
"Not exactly," said Kaoru. "Sano is more used to this kind of fighting, giving him a slight advantage. But in all good sword training, a swordsman should know how to fight without a sword. Remember how I tried to teach you that Yahiko?"
"Yeah..." Yahiko remembered that. It had been when he'd tried to get the engagement ring off of Kaoru's finger that Kenshin had accidently given her, not knowing what it was. "...I remember."
"So if Soujiro had proper training, which I'm sure he did if he was working under Shishio, this battle might be pretty interesting," said Kaoru.
"Soujiro also has the advantage in size and speed," said Misao, her eyes glued on the two fighters, neither who was gaining advantage. Soujiro was currently on offense and Sano was defending, trying to keep up with the lightning fast punches.
"Huh? What do you mean Misao?" asked Yahiko.
"Haven't you been listening to what I've been teaching you Yahiko? Soujiro is faster, even when not using his shukuchi and he can move in and out faster. As for size, sometimes the bigger you are is better, but not in this case. If you combine Soujiro's small size to his speed, he can be pretty deadly. Sano will have a harder time hitting him as he is a faster target."
"Oh, I get it."
Back on the battlefield....
Soujiro ducked another of my punches, and darted forwards again, his own attack ready. I raised my hands, ready to intercept the blow, but was surprised when I felt the air being knocked out of my body and a dull ache in my abdomen.
I flew back and landed hard on my back, getting up stiffly, glaring at Soujiro, who just smiled at me innocently. I couldn't believe it, hadn't even thought of it. He had kicked me! Because of his speed he was able to do so and get out of there before collapsing from the momentum of his attack and the off balance.
"All right Tenken, now we're getting serious," I said, gazing at the huge bruise forming at the top of my bandage wraps. I went into my fighting stance, my left foot slightly behind my body, my torso leaning forward. "Come on," I called, beckoning with my hand.
He raced forward again, dodging my punches, myself being wary and watching his feet for any sign that he was going to kick me again. I saw his foot raise and I decided that in that split second that he was off balance on only one foot would be when I would strike.
There! His left foot picked off the ground and I brought my right fist up in a hook, aiming at his stomach. I solidly connected and the Tenken flew backwards and landed near the porch, but skidded the whole length of the yard, tearing it up completly.
Did I win? Soujiro lay on the ground, not moving a muscle. Now, if he was a normal guy he'd be down for the count, but Soujiro didn't seem normal. And when he twitched, I knew he wasn't.
The Tenken rose slowly to his feet, clutching his stomach with his left hand, doubled over in pain. He picked his head up and glared at me, before slowly straightening his body, although his left hand stayed over his stomach. It was then I noticed his blue gi was starting to turn a dark purple, the stain blossoming out. I hadn't meant to hit him that hard... Well, actually I did but still....
"Very nice Sagara-San," he complimented, a smile on his face again. "I wasn't expecting that, you must have seen it before."
He suddenly charged again, throwing me for a loop. It looked like I'd hurt him pretty bad so it was amazing how fast he was still moving. I threw my weight backwards, just being missed by his first punch.
I suddenly noticed that strange feeling I'd felt when the wind first started, he had unleashed some of his ki again. I knew that in a battle with Kenshin that was bad since Kenshin could sense it, but I could only feel it, not read it.
Searing agony ripped across my chest as one of his blows landed. For being so small, he sure did land a nice punch. I kicked out, trying out the Tenken's strategy and was rewarded with the sound of flesh hitting flesh.
Once again he flew backwards again, tearing up another part of Kaoru's yard. That time, it took him a little longer to rise to his feet. He came towards me, walking, ignoring the new purple stain spreading across his shoulder.
"This time....I will not fall back," he declared. "This next attack will finish our battle."
"Yeah right," I called back. "If it does, I'm pretty sure I'll win. You look like you could collapse at any minute."
A red streak flashed through his eyes, anger? "Are you telling me you think I'm already beat? I'm afraid you are sadly mistaken."
He rushed at me and I got into my guard stance again. I knew he probably wouldn't fall for the same trick twice, but I knew what to do to ensure my victory. His legs were his source of power, they advanced him at that incredible speed and added a lot of impact to his kicks. If I could disable his legs then he would be easy to beat.
When he was just about on me, I did the most unthinkable thing that I think has ever been done in a fight.... I tackled him. Landing on him, I swear I heard something crack but I didn't care what happened to him, as long as I won.
I brought my hands down to crush on the top of his unprotected head, when he kneed up, hitting me firmly in my stomach. I lurched forward and his right leg pulled itself around and hit the back of my head, and little black dots appeared in my vision.
The last thing I saw was Kaoru and everyone running off the porch towards us and then the world went black.
*End Sanosuke POV*
Soujiro pulled himself out from underneath the ex-gangster and staggered to his feet, a strained smile on his face. "Himura-San...I think I'm going to take a nap now...." and the Tenken fell forward, landing on the ground next to Sanosuke.
"We'd best get them both inside. Yahiko, go get Megumi-Dono."
"Sure Kenshin, I'm on it." The samurai raced off, just as the sky opened up and rain poured down, soaking everyone.
"Well Kaoru-Dono, it looks like Soujiro won, that it does."
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Author's Notes:
Sheesh, it has been a long time since I updated any of my RK stories... But both of them were updated today! ^^ I'm extremely happy right now because a new YuGiOh is on tomorrow morning and I get to see my Seto-Chan! ^^
Nothin else to say except that reviews are appreciated! Ja na!
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Reviewer's Comments:
~*~One Wing Writer~*~ You changed your name, I like it! ^^ Well, Sano did pretty good, didn't he. I don't like watching my Sou lose, but he was on a small downhill streak there for a while. Glad you liked the Yahiko Tsubame part, it was fun to write. I updated POW today and I had a small almost fluff there, it shows I'm getting better. Best part about that story's updated chapter is that it was 27 pages! O.o All reviews are appreciated, no matter how small. The more you review the better, but I don't mind if you don't do every chappie. I really don't want to be Aku Soku Zanned.
~*~coffeentoffee~*~ Yes, poor Sou. I loved it when Yahiko said that to Misao. I have another funny thing planned for him to say about my fave couple, but that'll come later.
~*~LishaChan~*~ Nope, Sano put up an awesome fight! I really couldn't see Misao winning and I really didn't want Sou to hurt her, so hysterics ended the match. Y/T fluff.... so kawaii!
~*~warhero35~*~ Knowing Kaoru, she probably will... hehe Yep, the riceballs for toys was a great use!
~*~Rainbow Chaser~*~ She sure was hungry. Reminds me of someone I know.... She's always eating... ^^ Glad Sou didn't mind
~*~tocole~*~ Hard drive probelms? That's awful. Why would that make me mad? It makes me bounce off walls and extremely happy! My sister was scared of me for a while. Getting that kind of a compliment from someone as good as you means a lot! ^^ Plus, I reread SSS, and yeah, I've improved a lot! I plan on them becoming friends b/c Sou is the one that.... oops, can't say anymore!
~*~water makes up an ocean~*~ You're going (gone is more like it) to Hawaii! You lucky lucky duck! I want to go to Hawaii, that's currently where my neighbors are.. *sigh* Well, have fun!
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Disclaimer: Once again, I take no ownership of this wonderful, awesome, great, superb, amazing, incredible, exciting, stupendous, super, super anime show! Do you think that was enough words to describe it? Nope, didn't think so, but if you wanted me to write them all, we would be here for a long time....
Scars of the Past
Chapter Four
'...' indicates thought
*...* indicates emphasis
~*~*~*~*~*~
From last time:
"Kenshin-San," said Tsubame, "Misao had a traveling partner and we invited him to tea with us. Do you mind?" Oh yeah, now things were going to get interesting.
"Of course not." Kenshin looked up at the figure who had been standing in the gate entrance. "Soujiro?" he asked, his voice tinged with surprise.
"Hello Himura-San," said the former Tenken, his gaze flicking to me with a look of question. He was probably wondering why I never bothered to tell him that he'd be seeing Himura.
"Soujiro, huh?" Sano rose from his spot on the porch, his hands clenching into fists, a firey gleam in his eyes. "I think it's time I get you back for what you did to Kenshin."
He launched himself off the porch, running incredibly fast at the unmoving Soujiro. "YOU'RE GONNA DIE!"
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*Yahiko POV*
I watched in shock as Soujiro just stood there as Sanosuke ran towards him, this look of deep hatred in my older friend's eyes. It appeared that Sano knew Misao's traveling companion and it didn't look like they got along at all. I wonder why, Sano got along great with everyone, well as best as he could with Megumi.
Then, my defense action kicked in as I realized that Tsubame was standing right next to Soujiro. If Sano was to miss and hit Tsubame.... A low growl sounded in my throat and I glanced first at Sano, then Soujiro, then Tsubame, who looked completly terrified. And that's when I made my move.
Racing forward, I sprinted for her as Sano charged the smiling boy both of us racing against the other. I don't think Sanosuke knew he was putting Tsubame in danger or otherwise I think he would have stopped.
I lunged forward, my feet picking off the ground, flying towards her in a graceful leap. My body collided with hers, both of us rolling out of the way and off to the side as Sano pounded right past the spot Tsubame had been standing on earlier.
I smiled up at her, seeing as she was on top of me. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked softly, my breath blowing the stray hairs that had fallen on her face.
She just rested her head on my chest and didn't move. I guess she was still in a state of shock. Carefully, I rolled her off of me and stood up, then reaching down and scooping her into my arms, making my way carefully back to the porch.
After setting her down gently I looked back out at the two people in the yard. Actually, it looked more like just Sanosuke was out there, the other guy had disappeared. "Kenshin, what's going on?" I asked, turning towards the man who was watching Sano with concern. "Who is that guy?"
"That's Tenken no Soujiro," piped up Misao from her spot on the porch. "I ran into him on the way here and I let him tag along."
Wait, I've heard of the Tenken before. He was Shishio Makoto's right hand man. And he was the guy who beat Kenshin up pretty bad in Kyoto. "Isn't he the bad guy?" I blurted out. "He was with Shishio!"
"Soujiro has seen the wrong he has done, that he has," stated Kenshin. "He left to go find the truth that he did. Sanosuke unfortunately doesn't know about the choice Soujiro made."
"So you're just going to sit here and let that guy kill Sanosuke?" I asked, feeling myself turning into my battle spirit. Sano was my friend and I wasn't going to let him just die like this.
"I don't think Soujiro's going to kill him," said Misao. "When he uh....well when he defeated these guys he didn't kill them. So I don't think he is going to kill Sano. Maybe bang him around a little but not kill him."
"Well where did he go? Sano is the only person out there and he keeps punching at thin air. What's up with that?" I asked, feeling it was unfair that Soujiro could turn invisible at will.
"He is out there," said Kenshin, "But he is using the shukuchi, his favorite method of fighting. The shukuchi is composed of very fast footwork that makes the user gain incredible distance in a very short amount of time. Right now, Sanosuke can hear it but he can't see him because Soujiro is so fast."
"Why don't we just tell Sano so they can stop fighting?"
"Sanosuke is still upset with events at Kyoto. He would love nothing more than to do some serious damage to Soujiro. Unfortunately, Sano cannot see him and right now Soujiro is only toying with him. He is moving around, making Sano frustrated but yet he doesn't attack."
"I see..."
*End Yahiko POV*
~*~*~*~*~*~
*Sanosuke POV*
I could feel the frustration mounting inside me as each punch of my fist, each swing of my arm only hit air. I could see him smiling at me in my mind, the grin taunting me, knowing that I couldn't hit it. What made it worse is he hadn't even tried to attack me, waiting for me, which meant we'd be here a long time. And at this rate, I would be so wiped out he could probably beat me really easily.
"DAMN IT TENKEN! STOP IT WITH THAT FAST MOVING THING YOU'RE DOING AND FIGHT ME FACE TO FACE!"
At once, the slight buzzing noise, the only indication to me of where he was, stopped and the Tenken stood a few feet in front of me, his hand resting on his sword, as if anticipating and getting ready to counter my next move.
"I don't wish to fight you Sagara-San," he stated, still wearing that smile. "Might we be able to settle this in a reasonable manner?"
I growled, anger rising steadily. After what he did to Kenshin he wanted to sit down, have a cup of tea, and talk? I think not. "ALL I WANT TO DO IS POUND YOUR FACE IN! NOW STAND STILL AND LET ME!"
"I really don't like to be hit Sagara-San, so no." I lunged at this moment, the second he was unguarded, but the stupid kid seemed to know what I was going to do and moved to the side calmly as I flew past him.
Okay, now I was angry. He was making a fool out of me and Kenshin, Jou-Chan, Yahiko, Misao, and Tsubame -well not the last one, it looked like she was still in shock- were just sitting there and watching.
"You really wish to fight me, don't you Sagara-San?" asked the Tenken as I turned around for another desperate run at him.
"Hell yeah, but I can't even hit you if you do that shukuchi thing of yours."
"How about this. I won't use my shukuchi and we'll consider it a fair fight. If I win, you stop trying to attack me. If you win, well... I won't even consider that since I never lose, except to Himura-San."
"FINE! YOU'RE ON!"
The Tenken withdrew his sword from the sheath around his waist and turned the blade around. "I don't wish to hurt you too badly," he said cheerfully.
All common sense, all strategies fled my mind as white hot rage took over. When you insult Sagara Sanosuke you've gone too far. Thinking so far ahead, over confident that little-
Back on the porch, Misao started to laugh hysterically, tears streaming down her face. Kaoru glanced at her younger friend worriedly. "Is everything all right Misao?"
"Oh no, I'm fine, it's just... it's just what Soujiro....what Soujiro..said...." she dissolved into hysterics again, clutching the pole to keep herself from falling off the porch.
"What did Soujiro say?" questioned Kenshin.
"When one of those guys he beat up said that he would beat Soujiro, Smiley Boy said that one should never assume you can win... and he basically just disregarded his own advice." .
A smile formed on Kenshin's face "I think Soujiro just got a bit mixed up, that's all. I don't think he pertains his ideas to himself, seeing as he prides himself on being close to the best, which he is."
"Be quiet," hissed Yahiko. "If he's as good as you say, I want to see him fight." The whole group smiled at each other and quieted down, all of them wanting to see this as well.
"Now promise me this Tenken, you're not going to go easy on me."
"I promise. I'll even let you attack first, seeing as you have no weapon."
"You're going to regret that!" I charged, my feet pounding on the hard ground, both fists raised at the still unmoving boy, who held his kantana out in front of him in a guard position. But right before I reached him he zoomed towards the left, not shukuchi but still incredibly fast.
Whirling around, I intercepted his blade with my hands and held it in a tight hold. I must pride myself on one thing, once I grab onto something I don't easily let go. He tried to wrench it, but I firmly refused to loosen my grip, although I could feel the blade cutting into my skin, seeing the blood dripping through my clenched fingers.
Then, with a final pull, the Tenken managed to retrieve his sword and retreated a safe distance, examining the blade for any damage my hands might have done. Bad for me, it looked like the sword had inflicted more injury to me than I had to it.
A examined my hands again, clenching it into a powerful fist. I glanced at my fist then back to Soujiro, who was still looking at his blade, and an idea began to form in my mind. Honestly, I knew I couldn't beat him like this, even without his shukuchi because the kantana could cover more space then my arm. But if I managed to delete his number one strategy from the game, I might have a chance.
After a few more seconds the Tenken got ready to charge me again. But this time I knew what to do.... I just had to act quickly, I wouldn't be able to hold him off for long with only one arm. Soujiro charged, covering the large amount of ground in fairly short time, faster than I had anticipated, but still I was ready.
Looping out, my left hand grasped the shimmering sword by the blade, and then, quickly bringing my right hand around, I yelled "FUTAE NO KIWAMI!" Soujiro's eyes widened as he saw what was about to happen and he was powerless to stop it.
My right fist smashed into the kantana, blowing it into little pieces of metal. I instinctively closed my eyes and I felt the Tenken release his grip on the sword and jump backwards, probably to protect himself from the piercing bits of metal.
Opening my eyes, I was met with the sight of the Tenken, a bleeding gash on his left cheek where the sword had cut him, holding nothing and staring at me, his smile gone, replaced by a look of thoughtful seriousness.
"I underestimated you," he said softly. "I never expected you to go for my sword. Guess I'll just be fighting with no weapon now, same as you. But don't count me out yet, a few lessons without a sword are never far behind the real talent."
I could feel a grin spreading across my face. Right now, I probably looked like an idiot, but I didn't care. No matter what the Tenken said, I had the upper hand, having done street fighting for a good part of my life. Now a chance, and a pretty good one too, to win.
The Tenken slowly brought his hands to his sides and inhaled slowly. And then, a wind began to stir, his gi blowing backwards in the sudden wind that seemed to come from him. The wind continued to grow stronger, as he stood completly still, a spiral going around him. I put my hand in front of my face to shield it. Suddenly, I didn't feel so confident anymore.
He raised his hands in a position that was normally used for battojutsu and the wind stopped, his eyes narrowed in concentration. Without warning, he sprung towards me, myself only just able to block his punch to my upper jaw. Right now it seemed I was going to have to be on guard.
"Hey Himura, what just happened?" asked a puzzled ninja. "One minute it looked like Sano had the advantage, and now I'm not so sure..."
"That was Soujiro's ki. Normally, he has it locked inside of him, hence the always happy emotion. That is the only thing he can feel. But when other emotions surface, the ki is let from its hold and you can actually feel it. That's what that wind is, but unfortunately for Sanosuke, that was only a small portion of the ki locked inside Soujiro."
"That means Sano's in trouble, isn't he?" asked the ten year old samurai.
"Not exactly," said Kaoru. "Sano is more used to this kind of fighting, giving him a slight advantage. But in all good sword training, a swordsman should know how to fight without a sword. Remember how I tried to teach you that Yahiko?"
"Yeah..." Yahiko remembered that. It had been when he'd tried to get the engagement ring off of Kaoru's finger that Kenshin had accidently given her, not knowing what it was. "...I remember."
"So if Soujiro had proper training, which I'm sure he did if he was working under Shishio, this battle might be pretty interesting," said Kaoru.
"Soujiro also has the advantage in size and speed," said Misao, her eyes glued on the two fighters, neither who was gaining advantage. Soujiro was currently on offense and Sano was defending, trying to keep up with the lightning fast punches.
"Huh? What do you mean Misao?" asked Yahiko.
"Haven't you been listening to what I've been teaching you Yahiko? Soujiro is faster, even when not using his shukuchi and he can move in and out faster. As for size, sometimes the bigger you are is better, but not in this case. If you combine Soujiro's small size to his speed, he can be pretty deadly. Sano will have a harder time hitting him as he is a faster target."
"Oh, I get it."
Back on the battlefield....
Soujiro ducked another of my punches, and darted forwards again, his own attack ready. I raised my hands, ready to intercept the blow, but was surprised when I felt the air being knocked out of my body and a dull ache in my abdomen.
I flew back and landed hard on my back, getting up stiffly, glaring at Soujiro, who just smiled at me innocently. I couldn't believe it, hadn't even thought of it. He had kicked me! Because of his speed he was able to do so and get out of there before collapsing from the momentum of his attack and the off balance.
"All right Tenken, now we're getting serious," I said, gazing at the huge bruise forming at the top of my bandage wraps. I went into my fighting stance, my left foot slightly behind my body, my torso leaning forward. "Come on," I called, beckoning with my hand.
He raced forward again, dodging my punches, myself being wary and watching his feet for any sign that he was going to kick me again. I saw his foot raise and I decided that in that split second that he was off balance on only one foot would be when I would strike.
There! His left foot picked off the ground and I brought my right fist up in a hook, aiming at his stomach. I solidly connected and the Tenken flew backwards and landed near the porch, but skidded the whole length of the yard, tearing it up completly.
Did I win? Soujiro lay on the ground, not moving a muscle. Now, if he was a normal guy he'd be down for the count, but Soujiro didn't seem normal. And when he twitched, I knew he wasn't.
The Tenken rose slowly to his feet, clutching his stomach with his left hand, doubled over in pain. He picked his head up and glared at me, before slowly straightening his body, although his left hand stayed over his stomach. It was then I noticed his blue gi was starting to turn a dark purple, the stain blossoming out. I hadn't meant to hit him that hard... Well, actually I did but still....
"Very nice Sagara-San," he complimented, a smile on his face again. "I wasn't expecting that, you must have seen it before."
He suddenly charged again, throwing me for a loop. It looked like I'd hurt him pretty bad so it was amazing how fast he was still moving. I threw my weight backwards, just being missed by his first punch.
I suddenly noticed that strange feeling I'd felt when the wind first started, he had unleashed some of his ki again. I knew that in a battle with Kenshin that was bad since Kenshin could sense it, but I could only feel it, not read it.
Searing agony ripped across my chest as one of his blows landed. For being so small, he sure did land a nice punch. I kicked out, trying out the Tenken's strategy and was rewarded with the sound of flesh hitting flesh.
Once again he flew backwards again, tearing up another part of Kaoru's yard. That time, it took him a little longer to rise to his feet. He came towards me, walking, ignoring the new purple stain spreading across his shoulder.
"This time....I will not fall back," he declared. "This next attack will finish our battle."
"Yeah right," I called back. "If it does, I'm pretty sure I'll win. You look like you could collapse at any minute."
A red streak flashed through his eyes, anger? "Are you telling me you think I'm already beat? I'm afraid you are sadly mistaken."
He rushed at me and I got into my guard stance again. I knew he probably wouldn't fall for the same trick twice, but I knew what to do to ensure my victory. His legs were his source of power, they advanced him at that incredible speed and added a lot of impact to his kicks. If I could disable his legs then he would be easy to beat.
When he was just about on me, I did the most unthinkable thing that I think has ever been done in a fight.... I tackled him. Landing on him, I swear I heard something crack but I didn't care what happened to him, as long as I won.
I brought my hands down to crush on the top of his unprotected head, when he kneed up, hitting me firmly in my stomach. I lurched forward and his right leg pulled itself around and hit the back of my head, and little black dots appeared in my vision.
The last thing I saw was Kaoru and everyone running off the porch towards us and then the world went black.
*End Sanosuke POV*
Soujiro pulled himself out from underneath the ex-gangster and staggered to his feet, a strained smile on his face. "Himura-San...I think I'm going to take a nap now...." and the Tenken fell forward, landing on the ground next to Sanosuke.
"We'd best get them both inside. Yahiko, go get Megumi-Dono."
"Sure Kenshin, I'm on it." The samurai raced off, just as the sky opened up and rain poured down, soaking everyone.
"Well Kaoru-Dono, it looks like Soujiro won, that it does."
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Author's Notes:
Sheesh, it has been a long time since I updated any of my RK stories... But both of them were updated today! ^^ I'm extremely happy right now because a new YuGiOh is on tomorrow morning and I get to see my Seto-Chan! ^^
Nothin else to say except that reviews are appreciated! Ja na!
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Reviewer's Comments:
~*~One Wing Writer~*~ You changed your name, I like it! ^^ Well, Sano did pretty good, didn't he. I don't like watching my Sou lose, but he was on a small downhill streak there for a while. Glad you liked the Yahiko Tsubame part, it was fun to write. I updated POW today and I had a small almost fluff there, it shows I'm getting better. Best part about that story's updated chapter is that it was 27 pages! O.o All reviews are appreciated, no matter how small. The more you review the better, but I don't mind if you don't do every chappie. I really don't want to be Aku Soku Zanned.
~*~coffeentoffee~*~ Yes, poor Sou. I loved it when Yahiko said that to Misao. I have another funny thing planned for him to say about my fave couple, but that'll come later.
~*~LishaChan~*~ Nope, Sano put up an awesome fight! I really couldn't see Misao winning and I really didn't want Sou to hurt her, so hysterics ended the match. Y/T fluff.... so kawaii!
~*~warhero35~*~ Knowing Kaoru, she probably will... hehe Yep, the riceballs for toys was a great use!
~*~Rainbow Chaser~*~ She sure was hungry. Reminds me of someone I know.... She's always eating... ^^ Glad Sou didn't mind
~*~tocole~*~ Hard drive probelms? That's awful. Why would that make me mad? It makes me bounce off walls and extremely happy! My sister was scared of me for a while. Getting that kind of a compliment from someone as good as you means a lot! ^^ Plus, I reread SSS, and yeah, I've improved a lot! I plan on them becoming friends b/c Sou is the one that.... oops, can't say anymore!
~*~water makes up an ocean~*~ You're going (gone is more like it) to Hawaii! You lucky lucky duck! I want to go to Hawaii, that's currently where my neighbors are.. *sigh* Well, have fun!
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