Pride Vs. Desire
By:: Melissa
Disclaimer:: I do not own anything from this story except for the storyline and the one made up character. Everything else belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki, creator of Rurouni Kenshin. Constructive criticism is welcome. No flames please.
Chapter 9
"Kenshin! Kenshin!" Sanosuke ran over to Kenshin's bleeding body and helped him up. Kenshin had one eye open, looking at Sanosuke through the pain.
"I can finish this." Kenshin started to stand up but quickly fell back to the ground.
"No, I won't let you, you're too badly injured." Sanosuke picked him up and carried him over to Megumi's side. "Take care of him, will ya? Why I take care of this piece of trash." Sanosuke stood up, a dangerous aura surrounding him.
"What a pity that such a noble man as the Battousai should die by the hands of 'a piece of trash.'" Kento mocked Sanosuke, swinging his sword around with ease.
"I'll make you pay for this, if it's the last thing I do." Sanosuke pounded his fists together, walking slowly towards Kento.
"Oh, I'm so scared. What can a third rate street fighter like you do to me?" Kento said, smirking slightly. Suddenly, Sanosuke leapt in the air toward Kento, catching him off guard. Sanosuke punched him in the face, sending him flying. Megumi watched, putting healing cream onto Kenshin's wounds, a worried look on both their faces.
"What were you saying about a third rate street fighter now?" Kento stood up, wiping the blood away from his mouth. His eyes grew hard and narrow.
"You were lucky, kid. Next time you won't be able to get another punch in." Kento went into his fighting stance, raising his sword up.
"I doubt that. I'll beat you up damn well." Sanosuke squared up his shoulders, determination burning in his eyes.
"Try me." Kento was gone in a flash. Sanosuke looked up and looked around but couldn't find him. He kept darting his eyes this way and that, looking for the vanishing samurai.
"Sanosuke, above you!" Kenshin yelled, pointing upward. Sanosuke looked up quickly to see Kento flying down at him. He stepped quickly to the side and narrowly dodged Kento's sword.
"Well, I have to admit, you have quick reflexes. But that won't save you from my blade." Kento disappeared again, appearing seconds later at Sanosuke's side, slashing a deep cut into Sanosuke's arm. Sanosuke jumped back, clutching his arm.
The fight continued, going back and forth, back and forth between Kento and Sanosuke. At one point, Sanosuke would get the upper hand but then Kento would utterly outwit him. Megumi held onto Kenshin for support, a frown ever growing on her face. Kenshin watched, his face oddly calm and relaxed. His eyes darted back and forth between the two fighters, wondering which one was winning, which one was ahead. It was hard to tell.
"Kenshin, this isn't right. This fight. It has to stop." Megumi looked down at Kenshin, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"No matter what you say, Megumi-dono wouldn't be able to stop this fight. They've lost all thoughts about why they were fighting in the first place. They are now just fighting to win, to survive," Kenshin said quietly, turning his eyes back to the fight before him.
"But there has to be something, I don't want Sanosuke to die!" Megumi looked down at Kenshin with fear in her eyes. Kenshin looked up at her and smiled warmly.
"Don't you have faith in Sanosuke? He won't allow himself to lose. Don't worry, Megumi-dono. Sanosuke will be fine." Kenshin turned his head again to watch the fight before him, wishing he could do more to help Sanosuke.
The fight went on for hours. The day was growing light again, the night was fading into day and the sun started to rise on the horizon. Its bright red, orange, pink and blue colors mixed within each other and made an eerie mix.
"Don't you know when to give up?!" Kento screamed, picking up Sanosuke and throwing him to the ground. Sanosuke groaned and stood up, brushing himself off. He wavered slightly, putting his hand to his head.
"No, I guess I'm just too damn stubborn." Sanosuke charged at Kento, raising his foot to kick. Kento grabbed his leg and held it in his hand.
"You are very naïve." Kento whispered, bending Sanosuke's leg in a weird position. Sanosuke yelled, falling to the ground. He clutched his leg and cursed wildly.
"You dirty…"
"All I did was break your leg. How is that dirty?" Kento smirked again, wiping the blood away that was dripping down his face.
Sanosuke hopped up, being careful not to stand on his bad leg. He raised his fists as if to fight some more.
"Stop this! Stop this right now! Stop fighting!" Megumi screamed, standing up. She had moved Kenshin to the side. Her fists were balled up, as if she was ready to fight herself.
"Well well well, little miss fox is wanting to die too. How romantic. She and her lover want to die together. I'll be pleased to oblige." Kento ran at Megumi, raising his sword to kill her.
"No!" Kenshin yelled, his eyes growing wide.
Megumi closed her eyes, waiting for the pain, the stab, the blood.
But none of that came. She didn't feel pain. She didn't feel the blood on her skin. She didn't feel the stab into her flesh. She opened her eyes and saw Sanosuke standing before her, the sword in his stomach, his arms outstretched, protecting Megumi. She fell to her knees, shaking violently.
"You…will not touch….her…" Sanosuke stuttered, blood coming down from his mouth.
"And what if I do?" Kento asked, his voice sneering.
"I swear….I'll come back…and kill you…." Sanosuke grabbed the hilt of Kento's sword and pulled it out of his stomach. He coughed, more blood coming out. He stood up slowly, his legs wobbling. He held onto Kento's sword, facing him.
"I'll be sure that you will never come back," Kento screamed, punching Sanosuke in the head. Sanosuke fell over, his hands going limp on the sword. Megumi ran over to Sanosuke's side and held him in her arms.
"Sanosuke, you can't die, we'll get you help, you'll survive this, I promise," Megumi was talking through the tears, her hands trying to cover up Sanosuke's stab wound.
"Megumi, I can't be saved. But I promise that I will protect you forever. Through life and through death. You mean the world to me and I was just too prideful to admit it to you until it was too late. We could have had something wonderful, something amazing. But we didn't and that's just a sad fact. I will never leave you, you little fox. I'm always with you, in your heart. I love you, Megumi and I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you," Sanosuke whispered, his voice faltering. He closed his eyes slightly, a smile across his face.
"No no no….Sanosuke, you did more for me than you know. Sanosuke, please don't leave. Sanosuke!" Megumi screamed, shaking Sanosuke's body. He wouldn't stir, he wouldn't move. He was already dead. Megumi screamed out, tears running down her face.
"Oh, what a sad little picture. But don't worry, you'll be going with him as well." Kento laughed, his voice shrill.
"Kento, you little," Kenshin said, trying to get up, his voice full of fury.
Megumi stood up and turned toward Kento. Her face was turned down and her body was shaking. She looked up and Kento stared into her tear drenched face. Her eyes were blazing and her hands were formed into fists. Kento looked at her with surprise in his eyes.
"What's this? Are you going to fight back?" Kento asked, turning his head toward Megumi.
"You killed the only man I could ever love and you don't even show remorse! I'm going to kill you whether it's the last thing I do!" Megumi screamed. Kenshin looked at her with shock in his eyes. He didn't think that Megumi could snap like that. He didn't think that the cool and calm fox could ever lose her cool.
"Oh really now? You? Kill me? Bring it on." Kento laughed, moving quickly away. Megumi kept her eyes forward, not looking around.
"There!" she exclaimed, thrusting her fist to her right, punching right into Kento's face. He was forced back, his face covered in blood.
"Well, I guess you're not as weak as you look. However, do you expect to beat me with just your bare hands?" Kento sneered, leaning his sword against his shoulder.
"Yes." Megumi balled up her hands again into fists and glared menacingly at Kento.
"Fine. Then I'm forced to kill you." Kento lunged at Megumi, too quick for Megumi to react to.
"No! Stop this! She's not your enemy!" Kenshin screamed, trying with all his might to get up and save Megumi.
Kento laughed and thrust his sword into Megumi's heart. Her eyes opened wide with shock. Kento quickly pulled the sword back out of her, blood splattering all over his clothes. Megumi fell to the ground, her body going limp.
"I guess this is goodbye," Kento said cheerfully, walking away from the bloody scene, never to be heard from again.
Kenshin quickly moved to Megumi's side, taking her hand in his.
"Megumi-dono, please say something!" Kenshin said frantically, searching on Megumi's wrist for a pulse.
"I'm sorry….Kenshin….that I couldn't….avenge Sanosuke…." Megumi stuttered, her voice weak.
"Don't be sorry about that….save your voice, we need to get you help," Kenshin said quickly, moving to pick her up. Megumi put a hand on his arm, making him stop.
"Kenshin, I don't want to live if Sanosuke is gone. There would be no point. I would much rather die here in Sanosuke's presence than to die without him next to me. Please, allow me this one last thing." Megumi tried to move herself next to Sanosuke's side. Kenshin picked her up and set her next to Sanosuke.
He was speechless. He didn't know what to do. It was exactly what he didn't want to happen. He didn't want it to end up like the battle with Tomoe. He refused to believe that this was happening.
"Sanosuke, I'm sorry….I couldn't save you…..I'm sorry I never told you…..how much…I love you….I wish I had….now….so that….we could have….been together….Sanosuke….I'm coming home now…." Megumi's voice shook as she took one last shuddering breath and breathed no more.
Kenshin sat there, next to Megumi's and Sanosuke's corpses, for a long time. He didn't know how long. He hadn't noticed the tears running down his face. He quickly wiped them away but they still burned on his skin. By the time he got up and carried their bodies away from the scene, it was already night time. The moon shone down and Kenshin struggled to carry the two bodies back to the dojo to give them a proper burial. When Kenshin got back home, Kaoru came to greet him.
"Welcome home…" Kaoru started to say but Kenshin quickly cut her off.
"Sanosuke and Megumi are dead. Their bodies are in the front. We'll hold a burial this week for them." Kenshin's voice was dull, monotone and flat.
"No, it's not possible." Kaoru went to the front of the dojo and screamed. Kenshin walked slowly out to where she was. She had collapsed in front of the two covered bodies of Sanosuke and Megumi. Kenshin bent down and held Kaoru in his arms, letting her cry into his shoulder.
Kenshin could find no tears to cry. He couldn't find anything. He had no emotions in him. No pain, no tears, no sadness. He had no stab of guilt from not being able to help his friends. He had no pull of longing or loneliness tugging at his heart. He had nothing. He was numb. He felt nothing. He was just a walking empty shell, lacking in feelings. He was a monster, numb from pain, from reality, searching for, longing for a glimmer of hope for the future. But nothing came.
yes. there was a twist. Probably something you didn't expect. Yes, sanosuke and megumi die. but don't worry, the epiologue will hopefully make everything better. Sorry it's taken me a while to get this updated, i've been busy. So i hope this all satisfies all the suspense i've had up till now. Kinda a sad ending. But it'll get better, promise. it'll turn more bittersweet with the epilogue which should be posted by the end of this week. or by the end of spring break. either one. hope i didn't go OOC with any of the characters, if i did, sorry! xD Please read and review! Thanks! 3