Summary: Drabbles from the Love, Lies and Empire universe, featuring all characters. The drabbles follow the main story and provide insight and commentary on the events delineated in the main story. For your enjoyment.
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. It is the creative work of Watsuki Nobuhiro.
Rating: T
Annals of Empire
-
-
Drabble 20: Troublesome, Troublesome.
-
-
It really wasn't worth the trouble. Leaving her alive opened a whole new can of worms that Aoshi really did not feel like taking on right now. He didn't have the energy or the inclination to run around Kenshin and make sure he behaved, make sure he stayed away from her and kept his admiration and his interest to himself.
The simplest thing in the world right now was to plunge his sword deep into her neck, and ensure she breathed her last. That would be the simplest thing. But since when had his life been about being simple. Nothing ever came easily to him. Why should this be any different? They were alone at the moment, with Kenshin stepping further and further away. He could do it right now, if he wanted. He could silence her forever…but Kenshin would turn back the second he drew his sword. He would detect his intent to kill; he would realize what was happening before he even had a chance to strike.
Killing her here made little sense and served no purpose. He would have to wait and perhaps taking her to Kutou was the only way out. Easier said than done. Take her to Kutou! He had never heard of anything more preposterous. Hiko was going to be disappointed. And he would make his disappointment clear.
Aoshi sighed. Why? Why her? Why now? If he were entirely honest, the prospect of killing her chilled him to the bone, but what was he to do? He didn't make the rules. He had no say in the matter. She had to be killed before she became too dangerous. The mere fact that she had the potential to reduce Kenshin to a starry-eyed idiot qualified to make her a nuisance. Honestly, one would think the man had never seen a girl before, with the way he was carrying on. Using every trick in the book to lure her in and take her away to Kutou.
She didn't deserve this. Perhaps, if the invasion had come even a week later, something might have been done. Perhaps she would have already been married, and removed to the South where Okita had his estates. He would not have let her remain in the palace, for sure. It was weakness on Shishio's part, to allow his daughter to remain at the scene of battle. Did he think she would be spared? Had his dependence upon her blinded him to the danger she faced as long as she was close to them? Maybe, he hadn't thought he would fall or that his carefully constructed circle of protection would crumble once the fighting began.
Either way, it was too late. She had to die, and he had to be the one to kill her. There was nobody else he could foist this upon. Hard decisions had to be made sometimes, to protect those you loved…..even from themselves. So he had to kill her. It was troublesome.
Oh, so troublesome.