His breath came in ragged gasps, he couldn't hold this pace for much longer. His heart banged against his chest, lungs burning as he tried to go faster. His face was flushed, seeming to be on fire, the heat trying to suffocate him.
He had to calm down. He inhaled deeply, trying to smother his growing temper. He couldn't let it win. Kaoru was in danger, who knew what Shishio would do to her? He had to calm down. His friends had come, she had come, to see him?
Then this was his fault, Shishio was going to kill her because of him. Stay calm. He wouldn't let his temper win. He'd told her the truth. Kaoru knew who he was.
She couldn't be here. She just couldn't. He didn't want her to be. He said goodbye to her, for the final time. She was scared of him, of what he was. She looked at him like she'd never seen him before on that night. She wouldn't have come. She couldn't have. She just couldn't have. But he had her ribbon nestled protectively in his pocket.
She had come.
His pace slowed as the strain grew too much. He was breathing heavily, staring up at the old warehouse that loomed before him. It was still standing, much to Kenshin's surprise. He pushed the door open silently, slipping inside. The first thing he noticed was the strong stench that clung to his nostrils, a pungent smell he couldn't quite place.
Around the edge of the warehouse wooden crates had been placed, in seemingly random locations. He glanced at the middle of the room- no one was there. He slipped passed a stack of crates, making his way along one of the walls.
He knew Shishio's mind too well. His enemy was here, waiting for the redhead to cross to the center of the room. There was no way he was going to go. He squeezed passed another stack, coming to a solid wall of wooden boxes. He cursed silently, turning to go back the way he'd come. To his dismay, the hole he'd slipped through had been purposely designed only to allow him to pass one way. He slowly turned, looking at the one path left to him, to the heart of the empty warehouse.
He stood his ground firmly, refusing to walk into the obvious trap Shishio had set. He heard a rustle from above. It took him only an instant to realize that there were several people above him. He gasped, realizing their purpose.
Ignoring the warning in his mind, he dove forward. His only thought was to get away from the stacked containers. From above came a hail of burning matches. He passed the last of the crates as the tiny flames struck, fires springing to life, aided by the gasoline that had soaked into the wood. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his pounding heart as he took in his surroundings. The blaze was spreading quickly, lining the walls with a dancing inferno.
His heart sank; he was trapped. It was just as Shishio wanted.
"Welcome again, Himura," greeted a deep voice from the rafters above. Kenshin turned, anger building once again. He could see in the flickering firelight, his enemy being lowered on a platform. Kenshin's eyes quickly darted to the two objects Shishio had- one at his side, the other held in his left hand- swords.
"Shishio," answered Kenshin with contempt. "Where are… t-this ones… friends?" He'd stumbled through his wording without noticing.
Shishio grinned viciously, stepping off the platform. He was dressed in simple clothing, but what caught Kenshin's attention was the fact the other teen was wrapped head to foot in bandages. Only his blood red eyes and charred lips were visible, along with a few strands of tan coloured hair.
"Still not back to your old ways, I see. We'll have to do something about that." Kenshin didn't answer. Shishio smirked, pointing towards the rafters above. "Your friends are there, Battosai."
Kenshin looked up, gasping. Over his head, out cold, his three friends lay precariously on a catwalk, hands and feet bound tightly, surrounded by guards.
"What did you do to them?" growled Kenshin, rounding on Shishio.
"Nothing," he replied smugly. "For now." Kenshin gritted his teeth, barely containing his anger. His hands curled into fists at his sides, knuckles white. "It's time we finally finished our match, Battosai." Kenshin flinched at the name. Shishio ignored it, throwing the sheathed katana at Kenshin's feet. "Pick it up," he ordered, drawing his own blade from his side.
Kenshin gazed down at the weapon before him. His hand shifted, moving to pick it up, but he hesitated before it got too far. Now that he was presented with a sword, a lethal weapon, he couldn't bring himself to touch it. No matter how strong his hatred for Shishio was, he could not bring himself to move any closer to the katana.
"Pick it up, Battosai," Shishio barked.
Kenshin didn't move. "If you wish to kill this one, go ahead and try. He will not stoop to your level, that he will not."
Shishio's face darkened with fury. The two glared at each other, neither making a move. This match was a show, to prove once and for all, to everyone, that Shishio was truly stronger than the infamous Battosai.
Kenshin gave a grim smile. He refused to bend so easily to Shishio's plans. The bandaged teen raised his sword, preparing to attack. Shishio had the advantage here. He remembered all of Kenshin's moves, while his own latest forms were once again a mystery to the redhead.
Shishio charged, raising his sword, fire glittering across the silver blade. Kenshin waited, watching the other draw towards him. The sharp sword edge whistled through the air as it cleared the distance between them. The redhead tensed, knees bent as he prepared to spring away.
"Kenshin!"
His head jerked up. Kaoru, she'd called for him. Her bright sapphire orbs gazed fearfully down at him.
His breath suddenly caught, eyes going wide. Pain blasted through his left side, searing his nerves. His vision began to swim, red specks blinding him. He could faintly hear Shishio laughing as Kaoru screamed his name.
Cold metal had invaded his body and slowly ever so slowly, it tore itself free. He was on the floor with no memory of having fallen. He couldn't think as the intense pain racked his body. There was a thick liquid flowing past his hand, staining his clothes. Feebly, he clutched at his side.
Blood, he slowly realized, his blood. He felt sick, he couldn't breathe. He was going to faint. He struggled, trying to stay conscious. He could faintly make out several voices shouting his name from above, but he didn't recognize them.
"You're pathetic," a deep voice broke into his dazed mind. It was too close to him, Shishio was too close. "I should deliver your death here and now…"
"I'm not afraid to die." Kenshin struggled to say the words, but they couldn't get past his lips.
"… but I won't, just yet," Shishio continued. "You deserve to suffer a fate worse than mine. I'll make you feel a pain more terrible than what I lived through. My flesh was seared right off my living body- I promise that will feel like nothing compared to what you will experience. You have to suffer, Battosai." A sharp knee was shoved between his shoulder blades. Fingers grabbed tightly on the top of his ponytail, forcing his head up. He cried out in pain, as the gaping wound on his side was jarred. Red-hot fingers pressed up against his skin, forcing his head back. "Open your eyes Battosai, open them and look."
Kenshin did as he was told, wincing at the bright light. He fought to keep them from shutting, forcing them to focus. His vision blurred, the room shifting sickly. He was losing too much blood. He didn't dare look at the crimson pool forming around him. He blinked several times, hisvisionfinally focusing enough to see the figure before him.
His heart began to beat faster. Several feet before him, forced into a kneeling position, by two guards, was Kaoru. Her raven hair hung loosely aroundher, tears staining her face. Her fearful eyes staring intently at him.
"Miss… Kao…ru…" he gasped, his voice barely audible. He struggled to move but the knee only pressed harder into his back.
"Look what happens when you fail to protect," Shishio voice was barely inches from his ear.
His eyes went wide as the knife appeared. It moved in a fluid motion towards her. He was screaming, his voice mixing with hers. The blade sparkled in the firelight before silencing her completely.
She shuddered, her eyes going dull. Her form was released, allowed to fall limply to the ground. Her eyes were shut tight, face growing pale as blood, her blood slowly drained from her, seeping out in dark pools around her.
Kenshin's voice wavered, breaking into sobs. His head fell forwards, no longer feeling the hand that pulled his hair. Large tears welled up in his eyes, streaming down his face. He couldn't hear anything.
Kaoru… Kaoru was… He felt numb. He couldn't believe this. This couldn't be real. But it was, he could see her blood slowly crawling its way towards him. Shishio. This was Shishio's doing. He'd make him pay.
Anger creased every line of his face. The bright lavender faded, devoured by a cold, overpowering amber.
"Damn you Shishio," he growled, his voice like ice.
He instantly shoved his elbow into Shishio's stomach, receiving a grunt of surprise. The grasp loosened instantly, allowing the redheadto pull away.
He winced slightly as strands of his crimson hair were pulled loose with his hair tie. He dove forwards, all hesitation lost. He snatched up the katana from were it still lay.
He drew the blade free in one fluid motion, turning to face his enemy. The cold look was broken for a moment as the redhead stared in shock at the sword.
The Juppongatanna leader couldn't help but laugh at Kenshin's reaction to the blade he was holding.
"It's a reverse blade sword," Shishio informed, smiling as he rose to his feet. He threw the hair tie carelessly away. "It's suits you well." He regarded Kenshin, long crimson hair flowed wildly around his face. A striking contrast against his piercing amber eyes that focused solely on Shishio with cold intention. "Finally we face Battosai." Neither noticed the added shock to the two pale faces above them. "The true fight starts now."
"You're death is guaranteed Shishio," answered Kenshin coldly.
"Confident, for someone with rusty skills."
"More then enough to finish you."
Shishio smirked with amusement, "I'd like to see that."
"Then I'll show you," whispered Kenshin.
With a simple flick of his wrist, he flipped the blade over, vanishing from sight.
Shishio had only a second to react. He turned, blocking the attack aimed for his head. He pushed his sword forwards, forcing the redhead back.
Kenshin hopped back a pace, only to launch at his enemy again with renewed anger. He didn't feel the pain from the wound in his side, nor the subtle weakness from the loss of blood.
His amber eyes blazed with a rage that was eating away at him. The image of shock and pain on Kaoru's face, as her sapphire eyes fell shut, was forever ingrained into his mind. All he saw was Shishio before him, struggling to defend himself against one wild blow after another.
The redhead's face remained a static mask. The only emotion visible was the overwhelming anger present in his eyes. His entire mind was bent on a single thought- Shishio had to suffer.
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Whaaa! That was intense! I'm so evil. Bet none of you were expecting that. Heh, its so fun being evil to Kenshin and other characters.
A bit silly, I admit, to have a modern day story where the main villain and hero duke it out with swords. But that's what you get when your main villain is insane, not to mention I like the idea of having a sword fight between the two. (grins sheepishly)
As a side question, since I can't find the answer anywhere... if I edit and repost a chapter that already exists will the reviews for that existing chapter disappear? I would really appreciate if someone can answer this for me.
Biggest of thanks to my two wonderful reviews, summer star and MikaylaMae.
Summer Star: Heh… kinda left you hanging again. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
MikaylaMae: Mwahhaaa the power of leaving my readers hanging, I love it! Mwahaaaa. I can fairly certainly right now that there will be some more on Tomoe as for Enishi well… he won't be appearing in this story but I might write a sequel, still thinking about it though.
See ya next time, till then!