Author's note: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin,
and I apologize for taking so long to update this... please review and some
suggestions would be helpful.
Act III.
Crimson Rain POV: Kamiya Kaoru
Word quickly
spread through
“Is
Kenshin here?” Sanosuke asked. Sano was not the patient type; he wanted
to slug Kenshin in the gut for leaving. Kaoru shook her head and sighed
quietly.
“So
maybe it was Kenshin in those rumors… After all how many people in this
city have scarlet red hair?” Yahiko said as he started doing the laundry
in Kenshin’s steed.
“I
don’t like this at all,” Kaoru replied, her face was flush as she
thought it out, “that must be it! The person talking to us earlier
wasn’t Kenshin, but the Battosai! That would explain the rumors.”
“Yea,
but why would the Battosai threaten a crowd of people and not us?” Yahiko
asked.
“I think
the Kenshin we know asked him not to… Besides, he when to the trouble to
fool me,” Kaoru answered unsure as ever.
“Yeah
right, are there two Kenshin’s or something?” Sanosuke yelled. They
all tensed up as they heard footsteps. Yahiko returned to doing the laundry,
but he was paying more attention to Sanosuke and Kaoru’s actions then
before. The door slid open, in the doorway stood Chief Ukimura. Yahiko and the
others relaxed instantly.
“Is he
here?” Yukimura asked plainly, he was almost white.
“Define
He, is, and here,” Sanosuke replied smugly.
“Is Mr.
Himura here at the Kamiya dojo?” the chief said, his face was becoming
flush. Suddenly the dojo doors opened, and Kenshin walked in and turned around
to shut the doors.
“Who’s
asking this time Yukimura?” was his response.
“Kenshin?
Or is my theory correct,” Kaoru asked, the Battosai turned around to
reveal his golden eyes, “Battosai.”
“You
mean it really was you who fought with Lieutenant Fujita? You always seemed to
hate violence Mr. Himura,” the chief was half white and half red. The
truth was right in front of him; it was Himura Battosai not the Rurouni Kenshin
Himura.
“Are you
here to nag me? I been nagged for the past hour by that blasted Rurouni, you
can’t imagine how stupid you seem compared to that annoying
pacifist,” he paused and hit skull lightly, “So if any of you even
think about it I’ll cut open your stomach, take out you guts and put them
in a bowl. By the time I’m done you will wish you were dead.”
“I take
back what I said before about threatening the crowd and not us,” Kaoru
whispered to Sano.
“That is
a fine way to greet someone, but might I suggest you don’t anger the
Rurouni who stays here,” Yukimura was pale, but he held what little
ground in the argument that he could.
‘I
should have killed the wolf, but the Rurouni was being such a pest that I
stopped there,’ the Battosai thought grimly. The Rurouni was awake and
sunset was approaching far sooner than the Battosai had thought. ‘If I
don’t fight off the Rurouni I’ll be stuck inside for another ten
years. I can’t let that happen.’
“Himura
Battosai, you are under arrest for assaulting a police officer,” came a
cry from outside the doors, “put your sword down and surrender. We have
you surrounded, Yukimura are you through?”
“If
it’s a fight you want I’ll surely give you one if you intend to try
capturing me,” the Battosai motioned to Kaoru to open the door. She
opened it slowly to reveal about twenty-five policemen. A few of them backed up
when Battosai lowered into his famous Battojitsu stance.
“Your
resistance is futile Battosai, you’ll never dodge all of their
bullets,” Yukimura said as he walked behind the ranks. He raised his
hand, in response the gunmen aimed for the Battosai. When he dropped his hand
to let the gunmen fire the Battosai unsheathed his sword. He hit them first
with the dull edge then cut through the bullets that had been fired with the
sharp side of his blade. In doing so he cut down the first rank of men, many of
the gunman were sprawled out on the ground drowning in their own blood.
“HITEN
MITSURUGI-RYU RYUSOSEN!” Kaoru and the others could only watch in horror as
the Battosai cut down man after man, the once untainted Sakabato was now
bloodstained. Kaoru dropped to her knees crying, the Battosai glared at the
survivors to gloat that no one would ever defeat him using such trivial weapons
as guns. Many of them fled, as the rain came the Battosai looked at Kaoru with
the same eyes and expression as he had started with. The rain washed the
crimson liquid down the street.
“You
said that it was past him, that you didn’t care that he had been a
murderer,” the Battosai walked towards her Sanosuke stepped in front of
him, but Kaoru pushed Sanosuke aside, “Now that you seen the hell made by
the assassin’s sword… do you truly believe that you could live with
someone who saw and or did that everyday during the revolution at an age
younger than you?”
“I…”
Kaoru ran towards him, “Even now that I see his nightmares brought to
life I cannot truly comprehend the Hell that is created by the sword of a
Hitokiri, but I would try if it meant that you and Kenshin would stay with us.
That you would protects from the fate that just befell those men.”
“I never
could have thought that was what Kenshin hid from us, he hid such a dangerous
method of protection from us,” Yahiko managed to say through his fright.
“I
really don’t care about the past, that’s what behind us. I even if
you kill, even if you do… I would and will still stand behind you,”
Kaoru answered looking the former Hitokiri in the eyes, “as long as you
are not killing women, children, or the incapacitated, I will stand by your side.”
“Kaoru…”
Yahiko stated, “but I thought…”
“Foolish
one aren’t you? I really don’t care, no let me rephrase that…
I don’t give a damn about you even if that damn pacifist was your lover
or something. My interests are purely my own, and staying here with you
weaklings is not going to help my interests,” the Battosai said calmly,
“ to add before I leave this hellhole, I will NOT hesitate to kill you if
you get in my way.”
“Is that
all you have to say Battosai?” Yukimura was bleeding at the shoulder, he
looked at the Battosai,“ You really are a demon’s incarnation,
aren’t you?” The Battosai gave his a full view of his golden eyes,
Yukimura was certain that there was blood behind his eyes. The Battosai struck
him the butt of his sword.
“Battosai?”
Kaoru asked, “what makes you so evil?” The Battosai didn’t
answer, he just tossed her the reverse blade sword.
“I will
leave you for now, but I shall return,” with that Kenshin left, leaving
the Kamiya dojo and his bloodstained blade yet again.
The Battosai
was frustrated, he had been trying to get out of
“Give it
up Battosai, you can’t win this,” a confident cop shouted as they
surrounded him. Battosai narrowed his eyes, there were only twenty of them, and
he could probably steal one of the swordsman’s swords… ‘ Nah,
to dangerous getting caught by a bullet,’ the Battosai cursed about
leaving his dumb blade at that dojo. What surprised him was that none of the
officers advanced, he was without one of his weapons, and it took its toll. He
still had his speed and accuracy though, and that thought alone terrified them.
“Hey
Battosai!” he heard, Kaoru Kamiya and the rest of them were running
toward him. Note Sanosuke looks pissed about being left behind, “
didn’t think you could get rid of us that easy. We will not let you
die.”
“Persistent
witch, what do you want Zanza?” Battosai almost growled, Kaoru, Sano, and
Yahiko burst through the officers’ ranks.
“You
damn patriot, I told you not to leave without my permission!” Sano yelled
at him. Kaoru took up her wooden blade on the Battosai’s left; Yahiko did
the same on his right. Sanosuke stood there looking like a fool for a second,
then handed the Battosai wooden sword. Sanosuke took up the backside with his
fists.
“What
the hell am I going to do with this Zanza? It’ll break faster than
I’ll give up!” Battosai said in his cold voice, “ why’d
you bring this stick?”
“You
cannot kill if you don’t have a blade,” Kaoru smiled, then
answered, “It will withstand your attacks because of a metal rod that was
forged into it’s interior. Yahiko stop shaking…”
Indeed Yahiko
was shaking; he was scared of the Battosai. Who in their right mind
isn’t? Yahiko was there to make sure that the man he admired wasn’t
killed along with the Battosai, the Rurouni had to be there. Kaoru’s
smile faded into a scowl, Sano’s changed into a smile.
“Stop
shaking, this ends now,” the Battosai said, he raised the wooden blade.
“Stop
dreaming Battosai, you may have allies, but you are fiercely outnumbered, and
outclassed,” the office replied, Yukimura appeared panting, “stop
resisting Battosai, you cannot win.”
“Screw
you people, I’ll cut you down if you get in my way,” the Battosai
yelled, he took his wooden blade and charged. He hit two officers in the head
hard enough that it broke their necks. Kaoru batted down an officer that came
after Kenshin from behind, and Yahiko hit someone in the face with his blade.
“Hey
where are you going Battosai?” Sano yelled as the Battosai whacked a path
to some horses.
“I’m
leaving this hellhole, if you’re following me you better get a
ride,” he replied, the Battosai hopped on to the closest one, he helped
Kaoru by shoving his blade into the eye of an officer trying to cut the horse.
She jumped on the same horse that he was on. Yahiko got on the next horse, (the
had to bat down an officer to get it though.)
Then there was
Sano, he charged through and hopped on to a tan horse with a dark brown mane.
The Battosai made his black stallion ride out hard, he almost trampled a few
people. Yahiko and Sano made their horses do the same they did trample a
barrel. They rode hard into the sunset; they dared not stop for they knew that
pursuers would be not far behind. They did slow the horses to a walk though.
Their journey had only begun.
Hours pasted
like days for the group from the Kamiya dojo. The Battosai had finally stopped
inside a thick forest; he dismounted and led his horse to a small creek. Kaoru
jumped off, then tripped over a rock. Battosai caught her by the ponytail.
“What
was that for Battosai?” she nearly screamed.
“Don’t
get your selves cut, blood attracts predators,” he replied soothing his
stallion.
“Oh,”
Kaoru felt stupid. She thought he had done it out of concern for her, but the
truth was he had done it out of self-interest.
“Where
are we anyway Battosai?” Sanosuke asked, looking more closely at the
forest. There were no creatures on the forest floor. There were a few in the
trees and that was it.
“A
forest of death, Yamiryu Renkinjutsu,” he pointed to the creek,
“that is Yokai creek, it is said that it is impossible to find unless you
truly know where it is.”
“So how
do you know where it is?” Yahiko asked bluntly.
“The
signs around it, besides I’ve been here before,” the Battosai leapt
up in to a tree, “I would not advise sleeping on the forest floor,
especially not if your wounded. You learn that after you make that
mistake.”
“So are
you going to sleep up there?” Kaoru asked, he nodded, “ can you
help me get up off the ground? It’s in your best interests not to let me
get eaten alive.”
“I
don’t want any complaints about you falling off. You’ll want help
down later I suppose,” she nodded as the Battosai jumped down from his
branch. He scooped her up into his arm and jumped to a branch about three feet
thick. She looked down to see Sanosuke about fifteen feet below, (she decided
not to shriek.)
“Can you
do me one last favor? Can you indent the branch so it’s harder for me to
fall off?” Kaoru looked as scowl formed on his face. He set her down on
the thinning side of the branch; he took the wooden sword off his belt.
“Hold
on,” she grabbed around the Battosai’s waste. He hit the branch
several times, but she only saw it when he picked her up and dropped her in the
hole a foot and a half deep. The whole was about the 5 feet long and about the
same foot and a half wide.
“Arigato,”
she said, the Battosai hopped down his branch and did the same.
“Get
some sleep, you’ll need it you really plan on doing what you were
saying,” the Battosai fell asleep the fastest. Before Kaoru knew it she
was asleep, but she welcomed her dreams with open arms.
Sano was
scared for the first time since he had been a child. Here he was in the middle
of nowhere with a kid, a girl, and a ruthless murderer. He had no food, no bed,
no fire, no Rurouni, and no food, he did note there was water and materials for
a fire nearby. This was not something he thought he’d be doing with his
former pacifist friend in his Hitokiri state leading them into dangerous beyond
that of Shishio or Saito.
Was this the
last day he would ever see the Rurouni?