Just a Boy
Disclaimer: This unworthy one does not own Rurouni Kenshin, that she does not! As much as this unworthy one dislikes that fact…
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He was just a boy. Much too young to fight in the war. But he insisted, saying hr could fight just as well as any man. Better than any man.
He was right.
His teacher had warned him. He spoke of the horrors of war, how the glory of victory would turn to ashes inside the mouth, how the nightmares would haunt his sleep every single night.
He was right.
But the boy didn't listen. And now he was stuck with no one to turn to and nothing to gain. Stuck in a war meant for men much older than he, all because of a rash promise made in the heat of the moment.
His commander constantly worried. He hated himself for using the boy, but in order to win the war, he must use his 'sword'. But it was all for the country, and if one boy had to be sacrificed, so be it. However, it wasn't just one boy. But this one was special. And it was killing the commander how the bloodshed was killing the boy. The commander, in a rare moment of peace, decided it was best to do something.
He was right.
She saw the boy, and loved him and hated him at the same time. She wanted to gather him up in her arms and soothe him with gentle words. She wanted to turn away, to destroy him. But she couldn't do either. So she waited, until she wasn't allowed to wait anymore. It was either the boy's life or hers', and then she knew what to do.
She chose death, and she was right. And yet, she was wrong.
The boy became introverted, even more so than before. He never spoke, and if it were up to him, he would've wasted away like the monster he was. But he couldn't. He had loved her, and now she was gone. She had told him to live, and so he would, for her. He was and wasn't a boy now. He was a man on the outside, but inside, he was just a boy. And he knew he was dying, both inside and out.
He was right.
***
Author's Note: …Um, wow. This was depressing. You could call this fic 'The Synopsis of THE Flashback of the Rurouni Kenshin Series (And Possibly the World)'. Dude. Over an entire volume. That is one long flashback. But it is one of my favorite parts in the series. Even if it does make me cry. *Sniff* It's the reason I dislike the whole Kenshin/Tomoe Battousai/Tomoe thing. I know it will end up in tragedy. I don't like tragedy. And yet, I like the Bakumatsu time most of all… Paradox, anyone?