Here are Parts 07-08 of "That Which Lingers"
Parts 00-23 of "That Which Lingers" are located at:
http://www.geocities.com/~madamhydra/TWL.html
As always, C&C is greatly appreciated! ^_^
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THAT WHICH LINGERS: A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra
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Part 7: Times Gone By
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The pouring rain came down in torrents and the howling wind seemed
to scrape the skin raw. As Saitoh stared outside, Kenshin walked up
beside him and said, "It doesn't look like you're going anywhere
tonight... not in that storm."
Saitoh flicked a quick glance at his wife before he slammed the
front door shut. The black sword still in hand, he walked over to
Aoshi's bed and stared down on the injured man.
"So Shinomori, it seems that you know some important things about
this sword. Why don't you tell me how you happened to get that
information?"
Tokio has successfully managed to get the former Okashira's bleeding
under control, but the extra blood loss left him hovering on the edge of
consciousness. Aoshi dazedly replied, "Han...," before he realized what
he was about to blurt out in front of everyone. He abruptly fell
silent.
Misao stared at him. (Was... was he about to say... Hanya!?) Her
mind flashed back to that moment in Kyoto, when she had been lying
nearly unconscious on the roof of the Aoiya. (Hanya told me that
Kenshin had succeeded... that Aoshi-sama was coming back to me....)
Saitoh raised an eyebrow and said, "Yes? You were saying?"
Aoshi sighed and said in a weary voice, "I don't really know
anything about that sword."
"Then why all the warnings to not touch it, hm?"
"When Misao attacked me, her behavior was so... extreme...."
She turned white at the memory. The horrible things she had said...
the pain and bewilderment on his face....
Aoshi continued, "There had to be something wrong. I made a wild
guess that the strange sword she had was somehow responsible... so I
gambled and took it away from her."
Sano muttered, "Pretty serious gamble if you were willing to break
her arm over it."
Aoshi quietly said, "I didn't have time for gentler methods. But it
seemed to work. She started to act normally almost immediately after
she dropped the sword. I think one could reasonably assume that the
weapon was the cause of her... unusual behavior."
It was clear that there was a lot more going on, but it was equally
clear that Aoshi wasn't about to discuss the subject any further.
Saitoh debated pressuring Aoshi for answers, but Kenshin and others were
bound to object strenuously. He wasn't in the mood for a pitched
battle... at the moment.
They all tensely waited for Saitoh's reaction to Aoshi's blatantly
vague reply. To their surprise, Saitoh shrugged, but they all knew that
he would never give up so easily. Saitoh Hajime would be back for more
answers.
In the meantime, Saitoh glanced at his wife and said, "You're the
collector of old stories and legends."
His wife bowed her head respectfully. "There are many legends about
cursed weapons. In some stories, the curses are subtle and take
generations to manifest. But in other tales, evil spirits are said to
take up residence in certain weapons and drive men to instant murder.
It is improbable, but the sheer number of stories would indicate that
such things could happen."
"Hmph."
Sano yelled, "Is that all you can say? So what are we going to do
about it?"
"Nothing at the moment."
"What do you mean 'nothing'!? Shouldn't we get rid of it?"
"And how do you propose to do that, you idiot? Leave it out in the
street for some fool like yourself to pick it up?"
"Whaddya mean by that!?" shouted an outraged Sano.
Saitoh smirked evilly. "There was certainly enough evidence to
suggest that there's something abnormal with this sword, but that didn't
stop you or the brat from fighting over it, hm?"
From her bed, Kaoru said quietly, "He's right. There's just
something about that sword that makes you want to pick it up."
Yahiko muttered, "Maybe we could... bury it?"
"Once there was a man who threw a cursed sword into the sea. A few
minutes later, a great shark surged out of the waves and landed on the
deck of his ship at his feet. Piercing the shark's body was the very
same sword which had been so recently cast away," Tokio recited in a
gentle voice as she started to pick up the remains of their long
neglected dinner.
Saitoh apparently ignored his wife's comments and said, "This sword
is an important piece of evidence in several murders...," he glanced at
Misao and the still unconscious Megumi, "and attempted murders. I'm not
about to drop it into a hole and leave it for any stray dog to dig up
and steal."
Kenshin thought, (Saitoh's not scoffing at the idea of a cursed
sword. Tokio says that it's quite possible that there really is
something 'wrong' about that weapon. He definitely respects her
opinion, even on such a strange matter. That's understandable. So
would I.)
Aloud, Kenshin said, "Since we can't get rid of it at the moment,
what do you suggest we do with it?"
Saitoh casually tossed it in Kenshin's direction. "Try not to
misplace it THIS time."
"Oh, so you're dumping that thing on Kenshin, now? What, are you
scared of it?" taunted Sano.
"I'm not the one frightened of it."
"Are you saying that I'm chicken!?"
"Roosterhead."
"ARGHHHH...!"
Kenshin hastily grabbed a hold of Sano's jacket and said, "Sano,
please calm down! At the moment, there's only two people who seem to be
able to handle this sword without being overcome by murderous impulses.
It's either me or Saitoh. Take your pick."
"Sheesh... since you put it that way...."
Tokio approached Kenshin with a blanket in her hands. "Since the
scabbard is missing, you can use this to wrap the sword."
"Thank you, Tokio-dono."
She smiled at him and said, "Everyone really needs some rest,
especially Misao, Shinomori-san, and Kaoru."
Yahiko yawned conspicuously, "Gee, I feel exhausted!"
Sano muttered, "How can you feel exhausted!? You didn't DO
anything!"
"Whaddya mean I didn't do anything? I was helping Megumi all
afternoon!"
Tokio murmured, "He was a great help. The child that was in here
earlier wasn't as badly injured as Megumi first thought. We were
actually able to send him home."
Yahiko yawned again. "Yeah, otherwise we would've had the entire
family hovering around here like a swarm of angry bees!"
-----------------------------------
Everyone eventually found a place to spend the night. Aoshi,
Megumi, and Kaoru occupied the beds in the clinic's wardroom, while
Kenshin and Sano ended up on the wardroom floor. Tokio shared Dr.
Genzai's room with Yahiko. There wasn't any place in the wardroom for
Misao, so Tokio gently coaxed the ninja girl into taking Megumi's room.
As for Saitoh, he prowled around the now silent clinic for a few
minutes. Passing the wardroom door, he saw Kenshin sitting against the
wall, his sakabatou in its familiar place against his shoulder and the
black sword -- carefully and thoroughly wrapped in a blanket -- lying on
the floor right beside him.
They looked at each other for a long moment, then Saitoh walked
away. He took up a carefully selected position in the clinic's main
room, and settled down for the night. Like Kenshin, he no plans of
sleeping.
So much for good intentions....
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
Megumi found herself wandering through dark, unfamiliar streets.
(What am I doing out here in the middle of the middle of the night?
And where am I?)
A faint shuffling noise came from nearby. She looked around
frantically, but the street was still deserted.
The shuffling sound got louder... came closer.
"Who's out there!?"
There was no answer, but she saw something move. She backed away,
her heart starting to race.
The shuffling continued to approached... and then she heard the
hoarse breathing. The stench of decay and corruption clogged her lungs.
Then she saw it... a patch of murky shadow that seemed to swell and
grow as it headed in her direction.
Megumi spun around and ran for her life.
-----------------------------------
(What the...!?)
Misao stared around her in astonishment. She knew these streets.
She had played in them since she was a child.
But what was she doing back in Kyoto... and at night?
She sensed a sudden presence behind her. Misao turned and jumped
away just as something large and dark sprang from the shadows and struck
the spot where she had been standing.
It looked like a huge paw... but not from any beast she had ever
seen.
She retreated as she grabbed for her kunai. Her attacker followed.
She couldn't see who -- or what -- it could be, but she could easily
sense the malevolence that hovered around its shadowy form.
/ You were mine once... you shall be again.... /
"You wish! KAN SATSU TOBI KUNAI!!!"
The blades pierced the darkness... and were swallowed without a
sound.
/ All mine, pretty little hellcat.... /
The hunger in the eerie voice made her knees shake. Then she felt
something... tugging at her... somehow trying to suck her into the
shadowy mass that shambling after her.
Misao did the only thing she could.
She ran for the Aoiya.
-----------------------------------
Sano abruptly sat up when he heard a woman's terrified screams.
"Jo-chan!!!"
He jumped to his feet, but was stunned to realized that he was no
longer in Dr. Genzai's clinic. Instead, he was standing on a deserted
street that he had never seen before.
It was nighttime. The moon was up, but instead being the usual pale
silver, the moonlight seemed to contain an unhealthy reddish hue.
(As if it's tainted by.... blood.)
Another piercing scream echoed in the night, but no one appeared to
notice. The neighboring buildings stayed quiet... their windows
remained dark.
As he ran in the direction of scream, he could hear a woman begging
and pleading.
"Please don't kill me! I had to do it! They threatened to destroy
my family if I didn't!"
An appalling familiar voice coldly said, "You lie. You spied and
betrayed us for money alone."
"No! That's not true! I was paid, but... but the money was not for
me. It was for my brother!"
"To pay gambling debts and his drug supplier," the icy male voice
stated.
"I have some of the money left! Take it! You can have whatever you
want!" Her voice turned coaxing and seductive, "I'll do anything for
you. Just let me liv.....agggGHHHH!" Her voice abruptly choked off
into a muffled scream.
Suddenly, a few houses away from Sano, a door slid open and a man
walked out. Pausing briefly to flick the blood from his sword, Saitoh
Hajime stepped into the street. But it was a Saitoh that Sano had never
seen before... a man with long, flowing hair held back by a headband and
a high set ponytail... a man dressed in a blood-flecked light blue
jacket whose sleeves were edged with a pattern of white triangles.
"Saitoh!!!"
But the captain of the third unit of the Shinsengumi didn't answer.
His gaze seemed to skim over Sano as if he wasn't even there. Saitoh
then turned and walked away, a cold smile of satisfaction on his face.
Sano ran over to the house and looked inside. He stared in shock.
In the blood-splattered hallway was the body of a dead woman. She lay
just inside the doorway with her guts spilling from her slashed belly.
"Saitoh, you murdering bastard! You're not getting away THAT
easily!"
Sano didn't know what the hell was going on, but he was going to
find out from Saitoh... one way or another.
-----------------------------------
Shinomori Aoshi stood in the middle of a street which was both
familiar, yet eerily different. He wasn't certain how it was different,
but something was definitely wrong.
How could he be standing in a place that was at least a five days'
travel away?
How could he be standing in a darkened street of Kyoto?
Even as he struggled with those questions, he heard the sound of
running footsteps. He turned just as a woman with long black hair
bumped into him hard.
He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away, then stared in
astonishment.
"Takani Megumi!?"
The doctor had been staring over her shoulder, a frightened look on
her face. But when she heard her name and turned to see who was talking
to her, her expression became even more terrified.
She wrenched herself free of his grasp and staggered back a few
steps.
"Shinomori... Aoshi.... No... it can't be!" With those words, she
dashed toward his left and tried to run past him. He reached out to
stop her but mysteriously, she eluded his grasp. Even as he watched,
she bolted down the street and abruptly disappeared into the shadows.
He ran after her, but she was gone without a trace.
"What's going on!" he muttered to himself. Suddenly, a man shouted
nearby. The sound was swiftly followed by several screams and groans,
then some thumping noises.
Aoshi emerged from the alleyway to a scene of carnage. Even as he
watched, there was a single flash of silver... the unmistakable sound of
steel slicing flesh... then two men crumpled to the ground. They joined
six other men who lay in great pools of gore. The lone swordsman left
standing wiped the blood from his blade, then let the stained sheets of
paper flutter away in the frail night breeze... then he turned.
But even without looking at his face, Aoshi already knew the
identity of the swordsman. Even the pale moonlight could not wash out
the telltale redness of the long hair, bound up in a high ponytail and
flowing around his face like the mane of a great hunting beast.
Staring into the cold golden eyes that gleamed with a nearly primal
fire, Shinomori Aoshi finally confronted the man he had hoped to
challenge for the title of 'Strongest'... and felt the faintest twinge
of dread.
The master killer of Kyoto....
"Hitokiri Battousai."
The name came out as the faintest of whispers, so quiet that it was
drowned out by the sighing of the wind.
The Battousai suddenly froze, then turned to look down the street.
...then Aoshi's heart nearly stopped as he saw Misao running toward
the red-haired swordsman, frantically shouting, "Himura! Himura!"
(No, Misao! NO!!!)
The Battousai took a two-handed grip on his katana and started to
move in her direction.
Aoshi grabbed for his kodachi but his hands came up empty. He was
unarmed.
Misao stumbled to a halt and gave the Battousai a bewildered look
when he didn't respond to her cries.
"Himura...?" she whispered, even as the Hitokiri's pace accelerated
and his sword -- definitely no sakabatou -- prepared to strike.
Aoshi erupted from the alley into the street and skidded to a halt
in front of a startled Misao.
"Aoshi-sama!?"
He took a defensive stance and prepared to meet the Hitokiri
Battousai with his bare hands. His only hope was to delay the Battousai
long enough to give Misao to get a good headstart.
"Run, Misao!"
She was now only realizing this was not Himura Kenshin charging
toward her. This was the TRUE Hitokiri Battousai... and he made the
person who had taken out Cho of the Jupon Gatana with a single sword
stroke seem like the palest of imitations.
"No! No, I won't!"
There was no time to argue. The Hitokiri was upon them.
Aoshi prepared himself -- futilely perhaps -- as the Battousai and
his blade plunged toward him....
"AOSHI-SAMA!!!"
....and went right through him.
A stunned Aoshi stood, completely untouched and unharmed. He stared
blankly at his body. There were no pain... no blood. It was if the
Battousai hadn't even been there.
"Uhhhh...."
"Misao...!" Aoshi spun around just in time to see her collapse on
her knees, stupefied by both shock and relief. He grabbed her shoulders
and frantically looked her over. She appeared completely uninjured,
just like him.
He glanced over her shoulder and froze at the battle raging just a
few yards away. She turned to look, also, and saw the Battousai
fiercely battling his way through a group of uniformed swordsmen wearing
headbands and pale blue jackets.
Aoshi softly whispered, "Shinsengumi...."
Misao clutched at his shoulders even as she stared at the fighting
going on in front of her. Himura... no, the Battousai methodically cut
down every single of his opponents with a bone-chilling combination of
efficiency and grace, the likes of which she had never seen before.
All his opponents dead or dying, the Hitokiri Battousai flicked the
blood off his katana, and sheathed it as he disappeared into the
darkness.
Misao huddled against Aoshi's body for comfort as she whispered,
"I... I don't understand.... What's going on!?"
Aoshi had finally put it all together when he had seen the
Shinsengumi.
"Misao, we're not here."
"Wha...?"
"We're not really here. This isn't real."
"Are... are you saying that... this is a... this is all a dream!?"
"Yes, I think so."
-----------------------------------
Kaoru stirred restlessly, then finally opened her eyes. She sat up
carefully and looked around Dr. Genzai's clinic. Aoshi was sleeping in
the bed to her right and Megumi was lying on the bed to her left.
(What... what woke me up?)
There was something nagging at her. A thought... a feeling.... She
wasn't sure exactly what it was, but it had something to do with....
"Kenshin."
She got out of bed and slowly walked over to him as he sat against
the wall, his head bowed. As she approached, Kenshin didn't move at
all.
(Is he really asleep?)
She reached out to touch his shoulder when her eyes focused on the
blanket-wrapped bundle lying on the floor beside him. She stared
blankly at it for a minute, then slowly reached down.
A door quietly slid open.
"Kaoru? What are you doing out of bed?" said Tokio.
Kaoru stood up suddenly, then nearly passed out from the painful
twinge in her stomach. Tokio quickly grabbed her around the waist and
helped her back to bed.
"Is there something you needed?"
"I just... Kenshin...," Kaoru muttered.
"Do you want me to get him for you?"
"Oh no. It's... nothing."
"All right. Just lie down and close your eyes."
As Tokio gently stroked her forehead, Kaoru drifted into a peaceful
sleep.
When she was certain Kaoru was unconscious, Tokio walked over to her
husband. Like Kenshin, he seemed to be so deeply asleep that he didn't
react to her approach.
Tokio knelt beside her husband and put her fingers on his neck. His
pulse was strong and steady, but he still didn't wake up. She got back
to her feet and gave him a long, thoughtful look before returning to her
own bed.
-----------------------------------
Aoshi and Misao stood together on a bloodstained, corpse-filled
Kyoto street that wasn't really there.
"If this is a dream, then... what are we both doing here? Why would
either of us be dreaming of Himura? I've got much better things to
dream about...." Misao blushed furiously.
Aoshi looked at her. He wasn't actually smiling, but there was a
faint curve to his lips that hinted that he might. However, his voice
remained quite serious.
"I don't know. Maybe this isn't a dream. Maybe... it's a memory."
"Uh.... Aoshi-sama?"
"Yes?"
She suddenly threw her arms around a startled Aoshi and sobbed, "I'm
sorry! I'm sorry I said all those horrible things to you and I'm sorry
I hurt you and I don't know why I did it and please forgive me and you
probably now hate me and...."
Aoshi was ruefully grateful that in this dream at least, he wasn't
injured... otherwise, her fierce hug would have really hurt. He gently
put his hand over Misao's mouth to silence the flood of incoherent
apologies, then gently held her shoulders.
"Yes, those things you said to me hurt... much more than any of the
physical injuries you inflicted." He felt her flinch and he gripped her
a bit tighter. "But your words hurt because they were mostly true."
"No!"
"It's only fair that you should be angry with me for what I've
done... what I've put you and the others through. You're quite correct.
I was a selfish, traitorous coward in the past. And now... I'm still
selfish and still a coward."
Misao mutely shook her head in denial.
Perhaps the certainty that this was all a dream gave Aoshi the
courage to say things he never would have said while awake.
"So much of what I've done... so much of what I have NOT done...
it's all because of fear and pride." He looked away. "I envy your
strength, Misao."
She stared up at him in confusion.
"You're brave enough to wear your heart in plain view and you don't
care if you appear foolish when you do so."
"Aoshi-sama...."
"You and Himura...." He felt her shiver and quickly shook his head.
"Not the Hitokiri Himura Battousai... I'm talking about Himura Kenshin.
You've both shown me that it's not the strength in my sword arm or body
that's the most important. No, it's the strength of the mind and the
heart."
He uttered a soft, bitter laugh. "You two have taught me this so
clearly... and yet, I find that I can't follow your example. I don't
have the courage... maybe I don't have the ability to so."
Tears started to flow from Misao's eyes as she said, "Don't say
that! You have as much heart and feeling as anyone! The Oniwabanshuu
don't just respect you... they love you! And Hanya and the others...
why do you think they were willing to die to protect you? They won't do
that if they couldn't sense how much you cared about them in return!"
Aoshi opened his mouth to protest, but Misao quickly added, "You
might have wandered into darkness for a while -- just like Himura
Kenshin did -- but that doesn't mean that you've lost the right to be
happy! Everyone deserves a second chance!"
She sniffled and wiped at her nose.
"The most important lesson I learned from Kenshin, Kaoru, and the
others is to... to trust in the people who care about you! You've
hidden away your laughter, your smiles, your feelings for so long. If
you can find these things and set them free yourself, that's fine. But
if you can't, then let someone help you! Let ME help you...," she
finished in a soft whisper.
And even as the street around them started to fade into mist, Aoshi
stared into Misao's bright blue eyes and thought that maybe... just
maybe... she was right.
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
Kenshin awoken with a start, then glanced around. Everyone still
seemed to be asleep. He rubbed his eyes blearily, dutifully picked up
the bundle containing the black sword, and trudged off to get some cold
water.
Still half-asleep, he managed to wash his face and tidy himself up
by sheer force of habit.
(When we get back to the dojo, I need to take a quick bath.)
-----------------------------------
Sano woke up as someone prodded him ungently in the ribs. He rolled
over and found Saitoh staring down at him with his usual infuriating
smirk.
Sano leapt to his feet and grabbed Saitoh by the collar.
"You bloodthirsty bastard! How could you kill that woman!?"
Saitoh's only response was to slam his fist into Sano's stomach. As
the young man crumpled to the floor gasping for air, the policeman gave
him an irritated look.
"Wake up, you dumbass."
Sano sat there on the floor a moment as he tried to sort things out.
"Huh. Must have been a dream...."
"Idiot."
Sano scrambled to his feet and glared accusingly at Saitoh. "Oh,
since you're not satisfied with making every one of my waking hours
hell, now you have to invade my sleep, too!"
"If it wasn't for the fact that my wife was the one who cooked
dinner, I'd say that your brain's rotted from food poisoning.... what
little brains you have, that is."
"Why you....!"
Saitoh glanced away, uninterested in Sano's little temper tantrum.
The former Shinsengumi abruptly stiffened as he caught sight of Kenshin
coming through the clinic's back door. Saitoh's hand went reflexively
to his sword.
"Saitoh?" Kenshin said in a startled voice.
The only response he got from Saitoh was a long, searching stare.
Sano gave the policeman an angry, but befuddled look, then he glanced at
Kenshin himself and gaped in surprise.
Sano had never seen Kenshin wear his hair up like that before.
Instead of being tied back at the nape of the neck as usual, his long
red hair was pulled up in a high ponytail which somehow gave a
surprisingly fierce edge to Kenshin's appearance.
"Hey, Kenshin!"
"Yes, Sano?" he absently replied.
"Why do you have your hair like that!?"
"Like what?" Kenshin looked even more confused than before.
"Like that!" Sano made a wild pointing gesture.
Kaoru entered the room, assisted by Tokio and exclaimed, "What did
you do to your hair?"
"Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin nervously patted his head, but as soon as his
fingers encountered the ponytail, he froze. Both Kaoru and Sano watched
in both confusion and worry as a tense, dismayed expression appeared on
Kenshin's face.
-----------------------------------
(end of part 7)
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THAT WHICH LINGERS: A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra
======================================================================
Part 8: The Past Revisited
======================================================================
Kaoru smiled slightly and said, "I've never seen you with your hair
up in a ponytail like that.... You know, it really suits you, Kenshin."
The pale, tense look that came over his face made her wonder,
(What's wrong? Why does he look so unhappy?)
Kaoru took a step in Kenshin's direction, but her knees abruptly
buckled. In a flash, Kenshin scooped her up and put her back in bed.
As Tokio felt Kaoru's forehead and checked her pulse, Kenshin said,
"Tokio-dono. What's wrong?"
"I'm not sure. She seems to be getting a bit feverish. I need to
check her wound and make sure it hasn't gotten infected."
Sano said, "By the way, how's Megumi doing? Shouldn't she be awake
by now?"
"She did regain consciousness sometime during the night, but she was
badly confused. I've been waking her up at regular intervals to make
she hasn't lapsed into a coma. Yahiko?"
The boy stumbled in and sleepily muttered, "What?"
"I think Kaoru should stay here at the clinic for a little while
longer. Could you go back to her house and get her a change of
clothes?"
"Oh... sure thing."
Tokio smiled and said, "Thank you. And I'll have breakfast ready
when you get back."
Sano got up and drawled, "Come on."
"Just where do you think you're going?" complained Yahiko.
"It was a pretty nasty storm last night. I want to see how the
dojo's doing. And I can't stand being around HIM," Sano jabbed his
thumb in Saitoh's direction, "any more."
Slinging his shinai over his shoulder, Yahiko muttered, "Fine."
Turning to Tokio, he said, "We'll be right back!"
After Sano and Yahiko left, Kenshin turned his attention back to
Kaoru.
"She's feverish? How bad is it?"
"It's just a mild fever at the moment. Hopefully it won't get any
worse...."
At that moment, Misao burst into the room.
"Aoshi-sama... eek!" Her throat suddenly went very, very dry as
both Saitoh and Kenshin whirled around toward her and went for their
swords. For an instant, the two men stared at her with narrowed, wary
eyes,... then they both suddenly relaxed.
Saitoh snorted quietly as he slid his half-drawn sword back into its
sheath. Kenshin hadn't drawn his sakabatou, but his hand had been
firmly gripping the hilt.
(Why did I...?)
"Kenshin? What's wrong?" whispered a badly worried Kaoru.
Misao could barely keep her knees from shaking. Facing an
apparently hostile Saitoh Hajime was bad enough, but facing him AND
Kenshin was almost more than she could take at the moment.
When Kenshin turned to respond to Kaoru's question, Misao got the
first good at his hair. With a squeak, she blurted out, "Your hair!
Why are you wearing it up like that!?"
"Like what?" Kenshin said in a distracted voice as he fretted over
Kaoru's pale, drawn appearance.
"Like the way you wore it when you were the Hitokiri Battousai...
eep!" Misao suddenly clamped her mouth shut.
As Kenshin stiffened, Kaoru's eyes widened. (Is that it? Is that
why he was so unhappy when I said that wearing his hair this way suited
him? Oh, Kenshin... I'm sorry!)
He glanced curiously at Misao. "How did you know that? How did you
know how I wore my hair in Kyoto all those years ago?"
"I... I...," stuttered Misao. (I can't tell him that I saw it in a
dream!)
"Hmph. It really brings back memories. Doesn't it,... Battousai?"
Saitoh gave Kenshin a distinctly malicious grin.
"Saitoh...." Kenshin glared back at his old enemy.
The ninja girl hastily said, "Uh, guys. What's wrong with Kaoru?
She's not looking too good."
"Well, thank YOU, Misao," snapped a peeved Kaoru.
Tokio said, "It's possible that her wound's gotten slightly
infected.... That black sword could have been contaminated by dirt...."
"Or it could be poisoned," Saitoh murmured with almost ghoulish
relish.
"WHAT!?" screamed Misao.
"Oh dear...," Tokio murmured.
"Saitoh!" Kenshin gritted his teeth and watched the ninja girl with
considerable misgivings.
"Poisoned!? Then... then...." Misao gave Kaoru a horrified stare.
"That... that...."
"Misao, we don't KNOW the blade's poisoned...." Tokio gave her
husband a mildly reproachful look. He shrugged nonchalantly in return.
The ninja girl was too upset to pay any attention whatsoever to
Tokio's reassurances. She glanced wildly around the room, then her gaze
zeroed in on the still figure of Shinomori Aoshi.
"That means.... WAHHHH!!!" Misao burst into tears and flung herself
over Aoshi's bed.
"No!!! Please don't die! After all we've been through, you can't
die now...! I want to hear your laughter...!"
Aoshi slowly awoke from a very deep sleep only to find Misao laying
on top of him and weeping hysterically.
In a soft, but perfectly clear voice, he said, "Misao,... you're
getting my bandages wet."
-----------------------------------
It was only a short walk from Dr. Genzai's clinic and the Kamiya
Dojo. On their way back, Sano muttered, "Jo-chan's going to throw a
fit when she sees all the damage that storm last night caused."
"I hope you realize just who's going to be fixing all those holes
and stuff!" snapped Yahiko.
"Oh, don't remind me."
There was a brief period of depressed silence as they both thought
about all the work Kaoru was sure to dump on them.
"Hey, Sano."
"Yeah."
"Tokio-san is some lady, huh? With both Megumi and Kaoru pretty
much out of commission...."
"I know. But when you think about it, it makes sense. Saitoh
doesn't make allowances for anyone. There's no way he'd marry a woman
that needs to be coddled. Heh. Talk about strong females."
"But she's so sweet and nice about it, you really can't tell her no
when she asks you to do something."
"Kinda scary, isn't it? But I know what you mean."
They turned the corner and stopped dead. Sano looked around him in
bewilderment.
Yahiko muttered, "Uh... where did all these houses come from?"
The scene in front of them was completely unfamiliar. Instead of
the familiar stone-walled compounds, the street was lined with tall
wooden buildings. They turned and ran back around the corner, only to
see more wooden houses.
"What the hell!?"
The street was deserted and gloomy. The sky was filled with dark
roiling clouds which foretold the coming of another storm.
"Where are we!?" shouted Yahiko.
"I don't KNOW! So why are you yelling at me!?" snarled an
increasingly irritated and uneasy Sano.
"Because there's no one else to yell at! You've managed to get us
lost somehow!"
"Whoa! There's no way you can blame this on me! I...."
Both Sano and Yahiko caught a flicker of movement down the street.
They both turned just in time to see the briefest glimpse of long red
hair -- a very familiar shade of red hair -- swirling in the breeze
before disappearing into a side alley.
"Duh?"
"What is Kenshin doing wandering around here? I would've thought
he'd be sticking close to Kaoru since she was feeling so bad...,"
muttered Sano.
"And why is he still wearing his hair up like that?" added Yahiko.
They stared at each other, then charged off after Kenshin.
Considering how fast their friend could move, it wasn't surprising that
they nearly lost him several times amid the narrow streets and alleys.
Sano abruptly grabbed Yahiko and pulled the boy to a grinding halt
just as he was about to burst out of the alleyway into a fair-sized
street.
"Wha...?"
Sano clamped his hand over Yahiko's mouth and uttered a soft, but
emphatic, "Shhhh!" They stood in the shadows of the alley listening to
the conversation in the street.
A weak, tired man's voice said, "Himura-san!" He sounded greatly
relieved.
"I'll take care of it. Get moving."
Yahiko barely managed to smother a gasp. It was Kenshin
speaking,...and yet it wasn't. The voice was familiar, yet unspeakably
different. There were no old-fashioned formalities... no polite 'if you
please' phrases.... His speech was cold, precise, and left no room for
argument. He had heard that voice before... during Saitoh's and
Kenshin's battle in the dojo.
The voice of the Hitokiri Battousai....
The boy gave Sano a shocked and frightened look. It was clear from
Sano's expression that he recognized exactly who was speaking. The two
of them peered out of the alleyway and watched Kenshin, dressed in a
dark blue jacket and hakama, confront a group of swordsmen. It was
clear from their anxious expressions that they knew how dangerous their
opponent was, even if they didn't know his name. They drew their swords
as their leader shouted, "Stand aside!"
Yahiko turned white as a sheet, then bolted into the road before
Sano could stop him. There was an instant of stillness, then the scene
erupted into deadly motion as Kenshin... no, the Battousai charged.
The gloomy street was now filled with flashes of red... the red of
the Battousai's hair, the high ponytail lashing through the air like the
tail of a hunting cat... the red of blood flung from steel and pouring
forth from gaping wounds....
And then there was only two men left standing... the Battousai and
the leader of the obliterated squad of swordsmen. The squad leader
wavered on his feet even as his sword fell from a nearly severed hand.
Unarmed, he looked up and stared bravely at the killer in front of him.
"NO!!! NO!!!" screamed Yahiko. But his cries went unacknowledged
as the Hitokiri Battousai mercilessly decapitated his helpless opponent
with a single efficient stroke.
Sano rushed to Yahiko just as the boy sagged to his knees.
"No... it can't be... NO!!!"
The Battousai seemed oblivious to the commotion behind him as he
flicked the blood from his sword, then wiped it clean.
"Yahiko, what's wrong!?" Sano was appalled to see tears pouring down
Yahiko's anguished face.
"No... not him... anyone but him...," sobbed the boy.
The red-haired swordsman sheathed his weapon. Only then did Sano
realized that the killer in front of him was not carrying the familiar
sakabatou, but rather the traditional daisho -- a pair of swords
comprising of a katana and a wakizashi.
The Battousai turned and stared in their direction with cold, golden
eyes just as Yahiko rose to his feet, grabbed hold of his shinai and
charged.
"Yahiko!" cried Sano.
The hitokiri made no apparent move to fend off Yahiko's attack, but
Sano knew just how meaningless that lack of motion was. The man in
front of them was a master of battou-jutsu... a killer capable of
cutting a trained opponent down in less than a blink of an eye.
(That's why they call him the Battousai....)
Yahiko didn't seem to care that he was charging into certain death.
With a final scream, he swung at the red-haired killer in front of
him... and hit absolutely nothing.
It wasn't that the Battousai evaded Yahiko's attack. He hadn't
moved at all. Yahiko's shinai had passed right through him.
(Like attacking a cloud of smoke... or a ghost....) Sano felt a
distinct shiver of dread.
Even as the boy stumbled to a halt and spun around, the Battousai
calmly walked down the street, past a stunned Sano, and disappeared
around a corner.
"Holy...," whispered Sano. He turned to see Yahiko stumble over to
the side of the street. The boy fell to his knees and stared at the
squad leader's head which now rested in the gutter.
"Yahiko...?"
The boy slowly reached out his hand. Just before he could touch the
head, it wavered and disappeared... just like all the unfamiliar wooden
buildings surrounding them. Sano and Yahiko found themselves standing
-- or kneeling -- in the middle of a now familiar street, barely a block
away from the clinic.
Sano started yanking on his hair and shouted, "What the hell's going
on!?"
Yahiko remained motionless, staring blankly at the exact spot where
the decapitated head had been.
"Yahiko... Why did you...? I mean, did you know... that guy?"
The boy's answer absolutely floored Sano.
"He's... he WAS... my father...."
-----------------------------------
(end of part 8)
**********************************************************************
I would like to express my greatest thanks and appreciation to Julie
Farel, the author of the terrific RK fanfic called "Friendship", for
providing the inspiration for the encounter between Yahiko's father and
the Hitokiri Battousai! You can find it in the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu RK
fanfic archive at:
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Pagoda/7767/
--------------------------------------------
madamhydra@aol.com /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E
http://www.geocities.com/~madamhydra/