Blood Fights Again.
"Trying their wings once more in hopeless fight:
Blind moths against the wires of window screens.
Anything. Anything for a fix of light."
X.J Kennedy "Street Moths," The Lord of Misrule.
His eyes locked onto the girl, watching her in the moment. Why had it come down to this? The man's thoughts echoed as he gripped the handle of the sakabato, callused fingers closing over the worn handle as he had so many times in the last ten years. Amethyst eyes flashed a mix of emotions at this coming up battle. Kenshin tried to reach the girl with these worn eyes, yet the only thing that was reflected back was a deadly light, more of a caged animal ready to die in the next heartbeat. She in turned gripped the handle of the broken sword she wear. Beat up and scared hands much like the man's she watched in the shadows of the over hung moon. Gripping was a bit hard with the last blood of her wrist dripping down into her hand. A single drop fell, flashing the deep red Rudy as the moon's light touched it. Smiling at the color for no reason, she saw the emotions of the man's eyes. Her own azure eyes shooting back a light of enmity and sorrow. Soon the clash of swords would meet and something would change, something that might effect a future of a nation.
Sounds evaded from the world as the two prepared their bodies, Blood saw the man's stance, the tighten of his left shoulder, legs tense and slightly bending. She stiffed her back and lowers legs, thinking of how to counter this god like move the Rurouni used. Amber specks light her eyes, seeing him hold his breath. Cracking of the air reached her ears, seeing the glass like flash of the blade. Knowing the movement was good enough to step back in time, air splitting as the Red Sea had done. She saw his body soon after and took her chance! Her left leg kicking home, hitting Kenshin on his sword arm on the elbow joint. He moved his arm, taken not only by the surprise Blood had seen his draw! As well now was aiming for his arm. Kenshin switched his weight, tucking the kick and landing on the ground flat. Swing his sword up, she caught the girl in the upper thigh. Pain shot her left leg, she used her right leg and hit him in the lower ribs. Jumping back as he rolled up in a one knee stance.
"Not bad Kenshin" she spoke out, left hand touching her hit leg. Heat rose from the pained area.
Kenshin touched his ribs, his breathing a little uneven from the hit. He looked up at her words. "You saw my draw, most impressive. Not many can see that." he said. Blood only smiled cruelly at this comment.
"When you fight for your life so much, you got to build on what you know. But we both know that is not your real speed Kenshin. So stopping such as bitch and fight me" Blood spat out, anger weaving into the words.
His own voice tighten in a low irritation at the teen and her words. "This one will not hurt you Wolf!" he stood up, being eye level with the girl. Yet in this time, seeming so much bigger to her then normal. Kenshin' s eyes locked to her, everything about him holding back the man's growing anger at the girl. A rage he had not felt in sometime. She only looked at the earth, sensational fear of the man for the first time. Fear melting into a rage at this samurai!
Using this energy, she attacked her once friend. Putting out the broken kanata with her mirror like draw at the man. Kenshin's body reacted, stopping the edge moment before it hit his left throat. Eyes widened in shock at the speed of the draw. Pure amber meet his eyes, holding a insane fury to his still ones. Blood dug her feet into the ground pushing into the blade. Moving the edge closer to his throat. Turning the wanders sword against him. He stepped back, side stepping. Forcing Blood to fall under her own momentum. Kenshin brought blade up, nailing the teen in the upper right back. She put out left hand, turning the movement into a one hand flap. Landing a few feet from the man. Numbness with edges of pain racing her back. Blood looked at Kenshin, seeing him touch his neck. A thin red line appearing where his blade had kissed him. Her smile bloomed, watching this little line on his white thourt. Such was not reflected on his face. More of a shock was to Kenshin. If he had not done that move, he might be dead. He now knew she was out to kill him or be killed in his battle.
"Wolf, do not forget what was said before this. If this one wins, your life is mine." Kenshin harshly said.
She smiled a bit, not saying a word to the once manslayer. Amber light dancing in the shadows of the moon to his words. Taking the chance, she rushed at the man again, kicking high at his chest. Kenshin jumped back. To only be greeted by her sheath hitting his knee caps. Pain lashed his nerves, a breath of ache lacing from his gripped teeth. Kenshin landed on his back, rolling away fast some ways away from the fighter.
"You moved at the right time. That hit was went to crash you're knees. But you knew this and saw it in time. Many of the tales of your speed are truer then I thought Kenshin." she said.
He stood up, leaning on his sword lightly. Once more, the samurai had misjudged the teen. Wolf was faster and smarter then she let on. Like he did now in these days of peace. But that is where it ended. His edge had long ago dulled. Using his skills to save people and not take lives. Blood's had only gotten sharp, living on the streets and becoming this fallen fighter now. "How can I bring her back? She means to kill me if she can…" his thoughts ended. Seeing once again, Blood rushed at him. Her sheath cutting up left, aiming at his head. Kenshin brought his blade up, blocking the attempted. Forgetting the blade in the left hand. Slicing into his right shoulder, cutting only the level skin. He jumped back, kicking the teen in hurt leg. Blood dropped as he once again was forced to back off. Yet this turn he did not wait for the girl to attack him. He went for his Suntetsu , a move hitting right in the head of the target. Blood stepped back, the blade hitting her shoulder. A full crack echoed in her bones from the shoulder bone. She hissed out pain, bring her knee into the man's jaw. Kenshin blocked the hit with his handle at the same moment, bringing it square down in tow. Her whole body shook from the sudden impacts.
Kenshin stepped back as the teen fell to her knees, breathless and shaking. His own wound bleeding heavily from the movement of the attacks. Blood felt her left shoulder was crack and her knee shaking but not broken. Drops of blood stained her skin, Kenshin's blood. Her body ached, but she would not stop. Rushing to her feet, the girl took to the air. Sheathing the blade into its place. Making her space of attack and defense longer this around. Blood put all her strengths into the upper swing. Kenshin brought his own blade down. Two clashing perfectly in the middle, both weapons pushing into the other for the inch of different. He pushed more, upsetting the balance of the teen. Fowling his body into Ryusosen, a mulpi hit swings, companied with the god like speed. Such a move would normal chop a man into bloody parts of meat and blood. Yet with a sword like saboto, it only caused deep flash harm to the body.
Blood dropped to the ground as the last swing meet her rib cage. Her whole body over taken by the pain. Kenshin's breathing labored a bit, his mind and heart deep in sorrow and regret at what he had done to the young girl. No signs she was alive save for the labored breathing of her chest. He leaned on the blade, his good hand covering his shoulder wound. As he was about to relax, the sheath was whipped at his ankle tended, bring the man down to the earth. Shock playing over his face, Blood was half sitting up, blood twinkling from her lips. Eyes dull in hurting and ache.
Her voice ragged and strained in pain " Don't you fucking think for moment this is over Kenshin! Your going to have to kill me for this battle to end this night."
he rose to his feet, as she painfully stood up. Amber eyes glowing in pure pain at the man, her whole body seemed sluggish due to the pain it held back. Kenshin sheath his sword, going into the battojutsu stance. She watched, then mirrored him to a T. He blinked, taken back by this form of fighting by the girl. Yet, she shone like a mirror, or more a window into the past. For at the moment, Kenshin saw himself at a teen back in the nights of hitokiri. Chill ran up his spin, her ki flaring around her body.
" Is this what my enemies saw, what they felt when they saw me step from shadows of death.." he thought, looking at the girl. His eyes taking in the details, from the deep red hair, the flashing amber eyes, and the roughed scar on her own left cheek.
Time had spilt for both of them, each drawing for a different reason. One to save the other, the other to take the life. As the moon seemed to hide herself from the battle, the blades caught the last of her light. Air cracking and screaming from the force of the swings, the pure power of each inch of the blades. Yet one only hit home. To finish the battle, a black blade fell from the hand. A body flying for the moment, then falling to the earth. Wolf's remember only the moon as she came from behind the clouds, and sorrowful lilac eyes looking down to her own. A single tear kissed her skin as it freed from her closing eyes.
Kenshin fell beside the girl, sitting for the moment. She lay, unmoving and breathing the night air. Moonlight danced on the two red heads. He gentle reached, touching her scared cheek as the tear traced the path in her skin. His eyes holding the reflection of the meaning to himself. He stood up and slowly walked over, picking up the broken sword. Then he walked back, pulling the sheath from the teen and putting the blade back as he put his away on the left side. Carefully he picked the girl up bridal style. Feeling the lightness of her frame to his chest. Kenshin turned to the stair way, walking back to their home. Still now the samurai had one more problem. What to do with the life of the Wolf?
Next Time
A new start once more
The girl stared at the man, the slap sting her scar cheek. Kenshin's eyes held a anger never seen only in battle. Yahiko and the other looked at the two red heads. Sano laid his eyes on the teen. Mirroring her own shock at what the man had said.
"You told this one if he beat you, your life was mine to do as pleased. So as of now, you are my student and the life of Wolf is mine." steel ran in his words. Kenshin stood straight, eye to eye with the teen.