1Battle for Life

Always, always
I will be watching over you
Be at peace Goodnight

Anime) Ima Soko ni Iru Boku: Komoriuta (Lullaby)

Ending Song

Last Time

Kenshin watched her leave, he felt at a lost of what to say. What could he do? A long breath came from the man; he leaned back for a moment. So much can happen in just a day. What ever processes they had been making with the young teen was not gone. A slight anger burned in the man at these events. He should have come home earlier. His own inactions had told him too. Even Sano had muttered; something was up last night. Kenshin closed his eyes, taking in the moment of now.

Wolf on the other side of the dojo sat under the tree. Her eyes fixed on the point of battle of last night. Yet her mind leads to the past, the meaning of her scared cheek. For this young woman, it was not the last time she had killed. Or the heart grows weak as it had last night. Memories of gun fire and yelling, the smell of blood and a pair of kind eyes looking into hers. She blinked, trying to fight the pile gathering her in an abdomen. Old scars ached from the memories, more so. The savage scar on her cheek that had become her call card back home. Yet what would happen now to the former street fighter?

Dawn broke over the land as it always had, coming to the steel eyes of lone figure laying on a roof top. Her breathing even to the stillness she held close. Save for a line hair moving from her misty breathing.

"Wolf, are you up on the roof again" a young man's voice broke "Kaoure wants you too go to the market for food"

She blinked, come around from inside herself. Wolf sat up, eyes leaving the sunlight sky. Walking to the edge of the roof. Her eyes landing on the young man, holding the bucket for tofo. Yahiko stared up, dressed for the lesson of the day. His face in a stone like grimace at the teen.

Wolf jumped down infront of the boy. Taking the bucket from his hands with out a word of any kind. He blinked, in a shock. No fighting, no sarcasm or threats from Wolf. Yahiko watched walk out the gate, even her walking was stife. A bit of worry gripped his mind for the girl. She had been like this the last week. No one seemed to past the steel eyes of Wolf. Kaoure had tried with kindness and yelling. Sago being Sago had even brought his face to an inch of her face, only to be blinked at and walked from. Kenshin usually was the one to break things like this. Yahiko let his mind travel back to last night.

Kenshin stood on the step, his own violet eyes watching the girl. Shadowed by a worries and something else. His gentle gaze traveled to the girl. Wolf had not eaten anything or done any kind of commutation with the gumi all day. He breathed a deep long air full of the fall night. Walking out, Kenshin gentle smile bloomed on his face.

Wolf sat on the edge of the well. "Kenshin, I have nothing to say." her voice said to the samurai.

Kenshin stopped, his smile fading with the words. Still, the red head would not give up on the teen or his mission. "Wolf, everyone is worried about you. We know you are use to being alone, but you don't have to be alone anymore. This one is very worried you as well. Why not have something to eat and drink?" He asked, letting the offer hang in the air.

She turned her head, the crimson color framing her face. Eyes holding a chilled like gaze to the man. Kenshin's own violent warmth met the cool blast from the teen. No fake smile covering his peaceful face this time around. Set in a serious tone, holding an undertone of something else. Wolf blinked for a moment, her eyes widening a little at the man. Kenshin saw a spark of something, Yet the man held his gaze, locking in a battle of wills once again.

Then she let out a strain laugh saying after it "My own father use to give me that look Himura. But I was child back then, so it won't work Kenshin."

Kenshin blinked, hearing for the first time a sound of lost or anger. His gaze fell a little. "Then, this one is at a bit of a lost Wolf. This one knows what you are going though. More then the others do..." his voice trailing off.

"Don't compare me with you Kenshin. Bad idea." she repelled a little agitate at the man "You have no fucking idea what my life was like. Or what I lost of did back then. Yes I know what you did ten years ago and who you once where. Still that gives you no claim of what or who I am asshole!"

He felt something bloom at the teen for a moment. Anger. Kenshin bit his cheek, many things running in the wonder's mind at this moment. Knowing that snapping in anger at he girl would only result in her leaving in some form. He had faced many things in his lifetime, but not an angry teenager. Not like Wolf at all. She broke every role almost of what a Japanese woman was or raised. Everything about her, her actions, words, skills and view point was so...dissimilar then what the red head was use to dealing with at all. How was one spouse to deal with a female teenager, or one with the scars Wolf bared?

Wolf turned from the man, looking once again into the night. Part of her wanted him just to leave her alone. She bit her own cheek in frustration at the whole gumi, Could they not get the fucking clue just to let her be.

He turned, walking back to the warm light of the dojo. Once more glaceing back at the teen. She was back in the night. He signed, feeling at the lost of what to do for the girl.

"Kenshin! Kenshin wake up" someone voice yelled. He blinked for a moment, sleep clinging to the man's thoughts and eyes. Standing up, he opened the door to a frantic Kaoure.

"Kaoru, what is wrong?" he asked, still blinking at the early wake up call.

She took a breath, gathering her thoughts. "Wolf, she's gone. All her cloths, pack and sword! Kenshin she's gone, she's not at beef-pot, or Megumi's, over at that old woman's place !" she shouted

He stared the woman, sleep cleared from his mind. "Gone...where?" he thought. He could not pick up her ki at all. Something twisted in his chest, rembering those icy eyes to his own last night. Kenshin thought back the last week, he had felt something was up with the teen. Then the idea hit the man.

"Kaoru, go wake up Sano. This one things of what Wolf might do We need to look very quickly." he said, gripped his blade.

She blinked, seeing a seldom look on the samurai's face asking "Kenshin, what might Wolf try to do that has you worried?"

He meet her gaze saying"Take her own life..."

Kaoure eyes widen and lips parted. Not even wasting any more time on words. She ran to the gate to get the fighter. Leaving the red head in the dojo thinking "Wolf, this is not the way". He took off to the gate, hoping to find the teen in time and stop from killing her own life.

Night fell on the city of Tokyo. Most people going home to a warm home or spend times with friends. Others, running from the world in a drunken haze. A few getting ready to make some quite money by robbing a store or bystanders. Save one girl, kneeling infront of an old temple. Her once steel eyes glazed over in a deep pain, blood dripping from a old scar. Refusing to let go of the past or her.

Wolf's eyes locked onto the short blade she held. Pushing it to the skin, feeling the pain play out on the skin. Blood bloomed under the path it left on her flesh. She smiled, almost resentful in her lust to leave this plane. Blood's felt her pain welding in her soul, yet something had come to stop this. She smiled dismal, knowing who it was by the energy. Laying the dagger to the earth. She stood, bleeding amber eyes falling onto the moonlight figure on the stairs.

Kenshin's normally calm face was burned away with a look of deadly anger. Eyes narrowed into a glare at the blade holding teen. His own eyes peering into the static amber. Every muscle was gripping to keeping his self control, making his shake slightly in his hands. One which gripped his sakabato tightly even more. Such burning fury would send most men in a retreat for dear santiey. Save one girl that match the steel blue with her own aching amber. Air seemed to shatter at such a tense moment between the two.

Kenshin's voice laid out deadly and calm. "Wolf, what are doing?" he asked.

She smiled, cruel in all intension to the man. Her eyes reflecting something more then shown openly to the man. Daggering her fingers into the bleed scar, causing it to bleed even more down her face.

"Well, look has joined us on such a lovely night hmm. One wonders why he might come to this place of gods?" she whispered harshly.

Kenshin felt something snap at this voice, lifeless was the tone. This was not the voice of Wolf, but something else

"Wolf, what is going on? Everyone has been worried about you.?" he asked

Laughter was the replied by the teen. Bashing in a icy answer "Why or What I am doing is none of your concern Battosai"

Kenshin eyes widen at this, Wolf would never call him that. His eyes traveled to her bleeding wrist. He knew what she was doing...

Blood saw how he looked to her arm, her smile gone at this. "How dare he come here and try to stop me! This is my life" she thought angerly. Some of the madness and red hazy clearing from the teen's mind. Yet bitterness filled her in it's place, anger at this man called Kenshin.

"Leave Kenshin, let me finish what I set out to do." she said, eyes once again locking with his.

"This one can not Wolf. Taking you life is just running away. This one will stop you by force if the need comes." Kenshin said, pulling out the saboko. The light touching the blade in a flash in the eyes of the teen.

Blood's eyes narrowed at the blade and the man. Then an idea formed in her head. "Ok, Kenshin if you want to play we will. With a price to the winner to speak of." Blood said velelty

He blinked, a little of guard by this new voice. "If I win, well...my life is mine. hmmmm. But if you win this little...battle Kenshin, my life is your's."

Blood's smile faded, waiting for the man to replay at this idea. She knew he was not use to an enemy saying or putting forth such things. Idea's like this often though train samurai or warrior out for a whack one might say. She was counting on this idea, yet holding Kenshin's outh in the back of her mind the whole time. Not wanting the red head to tint his blade with her madding blood in the end of the whole thing. At least one part of her mind was still sane. Or to feel any kind of guilt that he carried eve now in this day and agr from his past deeds.

Kenshin lowered his blade a little, a bit taken back by Wolf's idea. Her eyes looked into his. Waiting as if all time froze between the two. One who did not kill, and anther with hells fire burning into his. Moments fell into the endless night. He nodded, not having the words to compose what he really felt about this whole thing. Blood smiled, pulling out the broken blade. The ebony sword capturing the light and shallowing it to places unknown by human limits. A battle was about start, life and death was about to play out once again.

Next time

Blood fights, a new start