Scroll IV: The Last Wolf of Mibu

Tetsuo glanced up sharply as a tremendous rumble came from outside. "Seems like Kuroda didn't last very long," he said. "But it sounds like he got in a hit in the end." He turned to face Kaoru. "Now listen closely, woman. Battousai is coming. We're having him fight us in here, where the rough and uneven terrain will make it difficult for him to execute the succession technique of his Hiten style. If you move from this spot, I will kill you."

Saitou strode forward. "Don't worry," he said to her. "Have faith in Battousai. The fool has always figured out a way to weasel out of killing. I've no doubt he'll disappoint me once again and continue the trend."

"If you feel this way," Kaoru said, "why are you going to fight him? If you and Kenshin joined forces, this Tetsuo would be no problem!"

Saitou shook his head. "I have my orders. Detest the situation though I might, I cannot go against my superiors." He leaned in close, interposing his body between hers and Tetsuo's. "You understand."

Kaoru looked down at the tantō he'd just slipped into her grasp. Its naked blade was razor-sharp.

"I understand," she said, concealing the weapon in her sleeve. Her resolve did not falter. "I wish it were different."

"So do I." Saitou straightened up, turned to face the entrance. "But it looks like the time for regrets is over."

Kenshin stood in the entrance to the mountain's interior. He was bleeding from several wounds and his face and body had been burned, but his eyes shone bright and deadly even in the gloom of the mountain.

"This one has said he does not seek conflict," Kenshin said, his voice cold as death. "And this still holds true. But if you persist in detaining Kaoru-dono…" His eyes flashed. "This one will not hold back."

Tetsuo smiled. "It looks like he's finally gotten into it, Saitou-san. Care to take over from here?"

The rasp of Saitou's sword leaving its sheath was very loud in the silence of the mountain. Saitou relaxed into the Gatotsu stance, blade parallel to the ground, right arm extended. "Battousai," he said. "Turn over that sword of yours. Become yourself again so we can settle our score as it was meant to be."

Kenshin's gaze lingered on Kaoru for a split second before returning to Saitou. "This one swore an oath never to succumb to the hitokiri again," he said. "And this one intends to keep that oath."

"Then you condemn yourself," Saitou replied.

He charged.

The last time Saitou and Kenshin had fought, Kenshin had countered the Gatotsu with the Ryukansen.

It didn't work this time.

As Kenshin whirled out of the way, his sword arcing around to take Saitou in the back of the head, the former Shinsengumi captain suddenly changed the direction of his charge, throwing himself into a diagonal movement. His weight no longer concentrated on his sword, but rather on his right arm, he dealt Kenshin a hammerblow to the jaw which sent the smaller man sprawling.

Kenshin rolled back to his feet just in time to see Saitou charge again, the Gatotsu propelling him across the distance between them in a heartbeat. This time, Kenshin tried a Ryukansen to the left, spinning him around Saitou's other side where he couldn't attack with his right arm, but Saitou blended smoothly into a side slash which drew a fine red line across Kenshin's shoulder and ruined his strike. Still rushing past Kenshin with the force of his charge, Saitou dealt him a kick to the same shoulder, blood erupting from beneath his boot in a crimson spray.

Reeling, his vision blurring again, Kenshin slammed his blade against the floor to keep himself from falling. He got back into a full standing position just in time to throw himself out of the way of another Gatotsu, the sheer power of the move buffeting him with wind as Saitou rocketed by in a near miss.

"Well, Battousai?" Tetsuo called. "Aren't you going to unleash the secret of Hiten? Against the Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki, the Gatotsu should be nothing!"

Kenshin ignored the taunt. If he were to have any chance of defeating Tetsuo, he would need to conserve his strength. He knew he would not be able to use the Hiten succession technique more than once, not in his current condition. He had to defeat Saitou without it.

Against the Gatotsu's power, the Kuzu-ryūsen would be ineffective – Kenshin would be blown back by Saitou's strength. But if he used it during the recovery…

Saitou charged again, the rubble shattering beneath his feet. Kenshin barely managed to turn the attack aside, not wanting to throw himself out of the way again for fear of further aggravating his leg wound. Saitou gave him another kick as he passed, but Kenshin turned with the blow, minimizing its power, before launching into the Kuzu-ryūsen as Saitou came to a halt.

Before the first strike even landed, Saitou began to wind up for another attack, but it was different than the normal Gatotsu. He didn't move his legs, but he pitched his torso forward, while his left hand, gripping his sword, fell far behind his body. Kenshin recognized the form of the Gatotsu Zeroshiki.

He knew what would happen. He would land the first eight strikes of the Kuzu-ryūsen, but as he delivered the ninth, Saitou would rip him clean in half with the Zeroshiki.

So he purposefully tripped himself up on the uneven footing. Kenshin tumbled forward, the power and speed gone from his charge. Saitou saw the change, but he was already committed, Kenshin was stumbling into his range, he had to take the opening or leave himself open in turn –

Kenshin ducked the Zeroshiki, the thrust blasting right past his head with the force of a cannonball. He pushed off with his legs, slamming the sakabatō into Saitou's chin in another Ryushousen. As the maneuver took him into the air, he switched his grip on the sword, bringing the blunt side around to face down again.

Saitou looked up in time to see Kenshin push down off the ceiling in a Ryutsuisen. He reacted instantly, thrusting himself into the air with a Gatotsu Sanshiki. The men collided in midair, Saitou turning aside Kenshin's blade to get in a solid punch to his solar plexus. Kenshin doubled over, botching his landing; he fell in a heap while Saitou touched down relatively unharmed. He took a second to reset his dislocated jaw.

"I have not survived this long without adapting to my enemy's tactics," Saitou said. "Get up, Battousai. This isn't nearly over."

Kenshin's eyes snapped open.

"THIS ONE IS NOT BATTOUSAI!" he snarled. "NOT NOW AND NOT EVER AGAIN!"

He launched himself to his feet, rushing toward Saitou in what looked like a display of reckless abandon. Saitou met his charge with the Gatotsu Nishiki, holding his sword above his head rather than at his side as he attacked. The downward-diagonal direction of the stance added tremendous killing power to his thrust.

As Saitou's sword lanced toward him, Kenshin leapt into the air in a Ryukansen Tsumuji. He twisted his body around and swung his sakabatō in the same motion, not only whirling over the Gatotsu but also adding centrifugal power to his swing. His blow hit Saitou square in the chest; Kenshin hurtled past him before coming to a halt.

The former Shinsengumi captain grunted as the blow landed, but managed to keep his feet, grinding to a halt and launching another Gatotsu Nishiki at Kenshin's back.

His expression betrayed his surprise when Kenshin, still facing away, waited until the last possible second, then moved just enough to let the Gatotsu pass beneath his left arm. Saitou collided with him, the considerable force of the thrust hammering into Kenshin's body, but it was worth it.

"This one bears you no ill will, Saitou," Kenshin said, keeping Saitou's arm trapped against his body. "But you stand between this one and Kaoru-dono. So this one will do what he must."

Kenshin turned, sakabatō flashing in his hand. He hit Saitou with a Ryusosen Garami, nine lightning-fast strikes hammering the same spot on his chest over and over again. The last attack sent Saitou hurtling backward; he crashed into a large piece of fallen rock, the impact showering him with dust.

Then, before he could launch another Gatotsu or even straighten up, Kenshin hit him with the Kuzu-ryūsen. The nine simultaneous blows of the attack hammered Saitou into the rock again, shooting cracks through the stone. His sword flew from his grip, landing with a clatter some twenty feet away. It might have been twenty miles, for all the good it would do him. He slid limply to the floor. Kenshin stood over him, panting.

"Good!" Tetsuo called out. "Now finish it, Battousai!"

Kenshin gulped down a lungful of air. "This one has already said," he replied, "that he has no intention of becoming Battousai again. Not ever."

"That's too bad." Tetsuo drew his sword; Kenshin tensed, readying himself for the man's charge.

It didn't come. Tetsuo pressed the edge of his blade against Kaoru's throat. "A life for a life, Battousai. Seems reasonable, don't you think?"

Kenshin felt his blood run cold. "You are not serious."

"Of course I am!" Tetsuo sneered. "I told Saitou I'd make my career with this. If you kill him, not only do you get rid of the one man in the government who might pose a threat to me if I try to seize power, you also become the hitokiri again – just like I promised my superiors. On the other hand, if you don't kill him, I'll kill the girl, then both of you. You're really going to lose either way."

Kenshin locked gazes with Kaoru. She was afraid, but defiant, her lips pressed into a thin line despite the sword at her throat. "This one cannot," he heard himself saying. "There is the oath."

"What's an oath compared to someone you love?" Tetsuo asked. "What's an oath compared to killing your oldest rival and getting to keep living yourself? It's not a hard choice, Battousai! You're just making it that way!"

"Battousai," Saitou whispered. Kenshin's gaze snapped down to Saitou. The Wolf of Mibu was conscious, though he was breathing laboriously and his left arm was broken. "Don't be a fool. Kill me."

"THIS ONE CANNOT!" Kenshin screamed. "What of your wife, Tokio? What of your comrades in the police, the people under your protection?"

"What of you?" Saitou countered. "What of that girl over there, who endured trials which would kill an ordinary person just to see you happy? For once in your righteous, pathetic life, Battousai, think. It is not a bad trade."

"Let me put it this way," Tetsuo said. His katana drifted down from Kaoru's throat, down, down to her stomach. He rested its point there, just hard enough to crease the fabric of her kimono. "Don't think of it in terms of the grief either death will cause, or who has lived the better life. Think of the numbers." His smile widened. "Think of the fact that by killing one man, you can save two lives."

Kenshin felt his heart stop beating. "Kaoru?" he whispered.

"I was going to tell you when you got back from Tomoe-san's grave," Kaoru said. "I was going – I was going to ask you what names you wanted."

He looked at Tetsuo. "How –"

"She visited the clinic in Tokyo before you departed," Tetsuo replied. "We were informed by our agents. The conclusion was a natural one."

"Do it, Battousai," Saitou said. "If you don't kill me, you will be letting them die. It's simple." With considerable effort, he withdrew a cigarette from his jacket and lit it. "Dying in a fight with you – with you, Battousai – I would have no regrets."

Kenshin looked at Kaoru again.

"Do it," Tetsuo said. "DO IT NOW, BATTOUSAI, OR SHE DIES!"

Kenshin raised his sakabatō. "I am sorry," he whispered.

He stabbed Saitou in the chest.

The Secret Lives of Characters: Saitou Hajime

If you asked me who my favorite character in Rurouni Kenshin is, I might just have to say Saitou.

He's a great character, a man of many contradictions and hidden depths. He's the first major antagonist in Rurouni Kenshin to really be a person. Though I love Jin-e, he's not exactly the deepest character, and Aoshi only begins to show his depth later. Let's not even talk about Raijuta. By contrast, Saitou is a man of honor and restraint, of bloodlust and passion. He has history with Kenshin, he has a wife and deep motivations and a life off of the page - great stuff. And his deconstruction of Kenshin's rurouni beliefs is one of the best moments of the manga, especially since many readers agree with his views, or at least acknowledge the validity of his criticisms - that's genuine conflict right there.

I was disappointed when he decided not to take Kenshin up on his offer at the end of the manga, though this was the most in-character thing for him to do by far. This, more than anything else, was the fight I wanted to see. Since that didn't happen, I decided to write it myself. I was especially motivated to do this because his first fight with Kenshin is his best battle by far. I like Usui well enough, but Yatsume is not a character of whom I'm fond and the Suu-Shin fights feel like filler. So.

This was actually one of the things that motivated me to condense this story into Kenshin vs. Government Killers rather than Kenshin, Sanosuke, Aoshi and Soujirou vs. Government Killers. Kenshin's fight was going to be with Tetsuo, and Sano's fight was going to be with Saitou, since Sano's still got something to prove there with his desire to go "beyond" Saitou. I was hesitant, however, because as Sano himself said, "I can't see him [Saitou] losing to anyone but Kenshin" - meaning, I admitted to myself, that Sano himself would probably take a fall even with the Futae no Kiwami. It's Saitou, after all. Ergo, here we are instead.

I do want to note that the manga does have Kaoru narrate that "We never shared that justice with him again," which is clearly meant to say "we never encountered him again," but I'm choosing to interpret it as "we never fought alongside him again." Maybe the original Japanese is more explicit, but I think one small departure from canon is worth it to bring together Saitou and Kenshin for a battle.

The final update will be Thursday, March 10th. Please look forward to it!