Ripple
Katshiro Kamiya meets The Battousai
By Marie Nomad
"This way." Katshiro led his strongest students down the street. There had been a killer going around proclaiming to be the Battousai and coming from the Kamiya Dojo. These rumors are hurting the newly formed style and he had to stop it before it gets worse. Thankfully, his students stayed by his side and agreed to get the Battousai.
Then, Katshiro held up his hand and pointed to a lone redhead with a sword at his side. He was small with a huge scar on his face. Katshiro screamed at the top of his lungs. "HALT BATTOUSAI!" He ran up and swung at the redhead.
The redhead dodged the blow and held up his sword by the sheath. "I am not dangerous." He gave Katshiro the sword by the hilt.
Katshiro suspiciously unsheathed the sword and saw it was a reverse blade sword. "What the hell is this?"
"A harmless sword, that it is."
"Harmless or not, it's still illegal to carry around a sword like that in plain sight." Katshiro put the sword back. "You should be careful. There is a murderer on the loose called the Battousai."
"The Battousai!"
"Yes, he was going around saying that he is from our dojo and it was not like that at all. Our style is a new protective style created by my father to be nonlethal but still protective." Katshiro held up his bokken. "Anyway, me and my students are going to stop him. Have you seen him?"
"Do you know what the Battousai looks like?"
"Not really." The redhead facefaulted. "But, I thought you were him because you were carrying around that sword. That's what the police officers are doing."
"There's the Battousai!" An officer yelled in the distance.
"Excuse me." Katshiro gestured to his students and they ran down the street to see a huge masked man swinging a sword around.
"Halt! I am the Battousai of the Kamiya Kasshin dojo!" He roared as he took some men down with his sword.
"Hold it right there, pal." Katshiro charged. "I am Katshiro Kamiya, the second Master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu!" He and the Battousai attacked each other and the Battousai sliced through his bokken.
"Get him!" Katshiro's students yelled and then a blur appeared.
The redhead slammed into the giant and he fell down. Katshiro held his shoulder and then stared at his bokken. "It is foolish to fight a metal sword with a wooden one."
"Maybe." Katshiro grit his teeth and he flung the mask off to see Gohei. "Gohei, my father's old pupil. He was expelled for his use of violence! Damn him!"
"Sensei…" One of Katshiro's students whispered.
"I'm okay. Just a flesh wound." Katshiro looked at the redhead. "Thank you for saving my life. What is your name?"
"I am just a wanderer. I am… sorry for what you had to go through because of the Battousai."
"He's not the real Battousai. Gohei lived in Tokyo at the time of the Bakumatsu. There's no way that he can be the real Battousai." Katshiro looked up to see the redhead gone.
"Oh my God!" A police officer yelled as he ran up to the group. "Did you know who that redhead was?"
"What?"
"He's the real Battousai! He has the cross shaped scar!"
"WHAT!" Everyone exclaimed.
To Be Continued…