Rurouni Kenshin does not belong to me. I'm doing this on my own and I don't get anything in return.
The Shadow of Battousai.
by
Lord Batout
He told whoever that wanted to hear that he was Battousai – and those who didn't want to know he told as well. He announced at the top of his lungs he was the most famous assasin from Ishinshishi, with a never seen technique and his swordmanship school to be no other than Kamiya Kashin Ryu. Some men of his group got into town and made everybody believe that he was the real demon, with no akin regarding speed and even less comparable strenght. His steel was to be feared, possesing a nightmare gleam.
Basicaly, someone he was not.
Was he strong? Surely, but not strong enough as to cut a man in half with just one blow. Was his steel worthy of being feared? Any steel on the wrong hands justified some apprehension. Tall and muscular, he inspired fear with his violent attitude even before touching his katana handle. A never seen technique? Well, when an expert eye saw him at night, it was clear that the man knew only the basics of some school. The rest were hits thrown in every direction.
-I'm a being that hides in the shadows to commit its crimes.- said Gohei to himself. He found very attractive the idea of him being a demon in the dark when in reality he was just a man bigger than average that went out every day at night a little bit later than most to indulge on his most violent, carnal desires. He dedicated himself to devastate the city and claim his recognition for it. Being well-known for it excited him. Going out in daylight and to see the merchants venering him and treat him as someone special, as a misunderstud sword genius, felt like the biggest achievement for a while. Sooner he would want more than that. More money, more undeserved honours. More compliments. Additionally, he was hurting the reputation of the good school Kamiya Kashin, trying to put it in a very bad light. Somehow that made him feel better than before.
One really uneventful night his bad luck made him cross paths with a man so humble that he felt it was not worthy of his attention. He looked at him and assessing his sword, height, tied down hair and ragged clothes, he thought he could barely stand a chance against him. The night before that same man protected a woman, Kaoru Kamiya, who's the legitimate heir of the school he was tearing apart and went out to confront him. Seems that, in rather silly move, she could track him down effectively.
Fair enough, he thought. If that dwarf wanted to test his school with his sword, which surely was a toy, it was all good with him. He liked the idea of killing and a few days had passed since the last time he killed town had him well fed, dressed and cared of.
-Gohei Hiruma.- said the man who wanted to fight him.- Who tells everybody about being Battousai, I give you the option of leaving the city in this moment with your men and never see you again, or fight me.-
-Ha ha ha ha Do you believe that I will run out of here considering the special treatment I get?-
-As far as I understand Battousai was a patriot. He fought for the freedom of his people, not to get special treatment under threats.-
Something on the tone of voice of the newcomer caused an indescripteble feeling on the base of his neck. He looked behind, searching for his henchmen, and couldn't find any of them.
-They are unconscious, don't even bother.- said the man, calmly – Let's go back to our business at hand. Are you going away?-
-Forget it, wimp.- answered Gohei.- I will never leave because I am Battousai, the real demon in the shadows. He who is friends with darkness.-
When the short man approached Gohei he could tell that his hair was red under the moonlight. Furthermore, he had a scar shaped like an X on his left cheek. The man came closer to him slowly, circling him around.
-You say that you're the demon in the shadows. I wonder if you really know what that means.-
Gohei recovered his resolve on killing the wimp, getting quite pissed off with his words. He drew his sword and chased him but the redhead ducked him with an staggering easiness.
He tried punching him again, but he deflected the hit and, when he did it again the block was even more precise. Gohei changed positions hitting left and right but the little guy could effortlessly dodge him just turning his waist to the sides or moving his arms, cancelling him completely.
-Stop playing around, either you leave and change your attitude or you will face my sword.-
A little bit flustered, Gohei insisted on hitting. The redhead just yawned and kept on blocking.
At some point that Gohei wasn't expecting, the short swordman drew an arc with his katana against him, sending Gohei flying at least five meters. When landing, the huge man raised a lot of dust.
-I'm asking for the last time. Would you leave and change?-
-¡Nooooooo!- yelled Gohei unable to rise, frightened.
Misteriously, the redhead approached him and grabbed him by the wrist. For some reason Gohei could not move at all. Something in him changed.
The red headed man looked straight into Gohei's eyes and the later could see a gold glimmer on them. A shine that, when in contact with his eyes, send him such strong emotions that made him feel dizzy.
He could feel the adrenaline before the impending work of a cold skin, tense muscles. He could feel the smell of blood reaching the deepest part of his soul and felt on his hands the vibrations produced at the time when bones, skin and muscles were cut with the sword. He could experiment for a moment the fear of being killed, the sense of taste disconnected at the time of tasting food, the lack of emotion while being touched by a woman. He could see the darkness of the night as his sole and true companion, ally in his commissioned crimes. Felt in his mind the screams of those who did not want to die and ended up surrendering under his sword. The weight of those voices calling him guilty and unworthy in his dreams, thoughts, in the vulnerability of his ideas. He felt all those punches and cuts he received, the merciless cold and harsh sunlight attacking him. The friends who never were real, their betrayal.
Moreover, he could see the ways of the hitokiris. No killing anyone who wasn't able to give a proper fight, not even thinking of hitting on the back. Not killing just to satisfy some kind of vanity. Doing it always on command, after a through study proving that murder to be crucial for the arrival of a new era. A new era when killing was not necessary at all, even if you were an assasin with principles.
His heart speed up, his body broke on a cold sweat. He begged the redhead, with his eyes, for him to look away because he felt it like an imppossible task, but the man kept looking till the pain reached his chest, from there to his stomach. Sorrow, on it's purest state, cut on Gohei and tears ran down his face.
- Do you really understand what it is being friends with the darkness? You believe you know shadows because you like the night and getting lose in it.- said the redhead compossing himself, easing his grip on him.- But you know nothing of what it really is, because even darkness serves a higher purpose that personal pleasure, or the recognition for it. I know shadows. I come from there. You cannot fool me about who you really are. Just a kid plays which those things he can not understand. Only a man endures what he accepted and takes accountability for what is to become his life. I ask you, for the last time.- he said letting him go and standing up, gradually.- Are you going away? Are you going to change? You have a lot of work to do, lives you took for nothing to atone for, clear up the lie about being a member of the Kamiya Kashin school because that's my wife's school, whom you had a great time badmouthing.
Gohei could not recover from the visions Battousai sent him. He feel grieved and shook his head.
-I am not leaving, this is my town...
-This town is under the care of who was Battousai.- answerd back the redhead, looking at him with a blank expression.-Given that we both cannot fit together here, I am kindly inviting you to leave.-
Gohei looked at him, astonished.
-You?
-Yes. Me. So, are you going away?
Slowly, the short man walked to certain point, where he bend over to pick up something. It was a paper lantern, that was lit with no particular haste.
-You should get going, now.-
Gathering all his arrogance, the big swordman -with a few broken ribs and something really bad on his elbow product of the impact with the redhead's blunt steel- again shaked his head no. The redhead did not even look at him, turning around and giving him his back. He knew that him being on his current state was untouchable.
-If you like to play in the shadows, take ownership for it.- barked back, with his lantern on and heading back home, he really wanted to see his wife.
Gohei watched him walk away and something happened. At first he thought that the shadow of the redhead, projected behind him thanks to the lantern, moved a bit extrangely, but paying more attention he realised that in fact, it was detaching itself from his figure! Like an terrifiying spectre, the shadow of Battousai's past, rose on his feet giving the impression of it materialising like a piece of black rice paper. The redhead stopped, without turning back, to keep the light creating the shadow and allowing it to proceed.
The coldness and horror he felt when seeing the shadow unsheath its dark sword and apporach him was undescriptible. His throat closed up, he could not breath. Just a few sounds could escape his mouth, his chest only feeling like free falling again and again through those seconds.
When the shadow reached him and showed him its face, Gohei felt apart, eyes bulging out of it sockets, mouth wide open and foam coming out of it. His heart had burst out of panic.
Sensing him falling, the redhead renewed his steps and the shadow reattached itself under his feet.
-Always happens with those who want to play with darkness without understanding it. - said to himself Kenshin with an even tone. He reached home and found his wife patching up his favourite yukata so he could use it that same night. They would be intimate tonight and he was already looking forward to be caress.
-How was everything, dear?
-Good. You can rest assured, that man is not going to lie about your school anymore.-
Happy, Kaoru helped him take out his clothes to put on the yukata. She kissed his cheek, playful.
Looking at her and smiling, Kenshin thought:
-For the shadow to exist, is essencial to have light as well.
And he abandoned himself to her.
The end.
Autor Nothes:
Thanks to Laura for their invaluable help in the translation and editing of this text , originally published in Spanish .
Lord Batout.