DISCLAIMER: Rurouni Kenshin characters (c) Watsuki Nobuhiro, Shueisha, Sony
Entertainment and whatnots. I am borrowing characters, not making any money
out of this and not worthed suing. I'm a poor student interested in writing
stories to make others happy... so...
THIS FIC IS NOT YAOI! NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES 'LOVE' IS MENTIONED!! You
can't accuse me of being yuiri because I love my friends can you? Good. Now
read on.
I have no idea what a piece of junk this was until I re-read it. But I'm not
going to re-write it! Well, hope you've liked this fic and thanks for
supporting 'Chronicles' to it's very end. You guys have been great readers.
Kaze, itai ame, sebi nomi, kire taito, fuyu no sora
[Wind, painful rain, calling sounds, broken relationships,
the winter sky]
Boku wa naze, waratte ru no?
[Why am I smiling so?]
Wakaranai
[I don't understand]
Kakushita yo...
[There's something hidden...]
~ Innocence by Seta Soujirou (Hidaka Noriko)
Translation by ruroken@geocities.com
Chronicles of a Rurouni
Part 9: Behind the hidden smile
An image forever fixed upon the mind...
"The entire river collapsing... now I've seen it all..." Saitou
glanced into the deep recesses of the dark chasm newly formed, and whistled.
"The police'll be busy all year round for this now..." He shook his head, and
was about to leave when he spotted some movement inside the chasm itself.
He thought for a while, frowning.
Soujirou trembled, not because of the sudden coldness of the tunnel,
well, if there was tunnel left at all... he trembled from fear. Looking down
at the waters below his feet, he could feel a chill going up his spine. He
squeezed his eyes shut, unable to face the roaring waves anymore, and
directed his attention somewhere else.
Opposite, the water had not yet fully subsided enough for him to see
how Himura-san and the rest were doing.
But he was not interested in that.
After all, he was hanging on a piece of rock by the side of the
cliff.
Soujirou blinked, and looked up. A shadow loomed over him, preventing
the soft moonlight from reaching his face.
He almost jumped in surprise.
He wasn't clinging onto a rock.
Murasaki was clinging onto him.
Kenshin took in a huge breath, and fell to his knees. He put his face
into his hands and shook his head, terribly confused. It was not until a
familiar voice called out for him that he finally looked up at all.
"Oei, Kenshin!" The frustrated voice seemed to come from above his
head. "What do you think you're doing, kneeling down like that? Getting soft
knees so soon?"
The red headed rurouni gazed upwards.
Sanosuke shook his head at him.
"Look at you, come on, better get outta here before everything gets
washed away into the waves." Sanosuke urged and started to scale the cliff
wall. Kenshin stood up and blinked two times in rapid succession. Now how in
the world did he get there without him seeing a thing?!
Nevertheless, Sanosuke was safe, and that meant hope for the others.
Kenshin hardened his resolve and reached out to follow Sano to wherever he
was heading at the moment.
Below him, as he tried not to look, the waters whined a low rumble,
and waves lapped at the walls. Kenshin fought hard, trying to not get his
small frame get blown away by the incoming gusts of strong tidal winds. His
hands dug deeper into the mud of the wall, fearing he might lose space if he
moved unnecessarily. Sprays of water droplets raised and grazed against his
face, subtly reminding him of the 'better things to come'.
Kenshin shuddered, despite himself, and wished that it was all but a
nightmare.
A nightmare he did not ever want to have again.
But first, to find Kaoru-dono and the rest.
"Over there, Kenshin!" A husky voice rang out.
"I see them!"
*His nature is not bad by default...* Soujirou frowned at the young
boy holding onto his hand. *... why did you lie, Murasaki? You're here not to
take revenge... there's another reason, and I'm going to find that out.*
"Murasaki..."
"Shut up or I'll let go!"
Soujirou's eyes widened a little. That was an unexpected reply. All
these time they had been hoodwinked, all these troubles for nothing? No way.
Soujirou was not going to take a plain one liner for an answer.
"I'm tired, Murasaki."
The younger boy paused. He stopped trying to pull Soujirou onto
firmer ground and looked down to see the latter staring up with a resigned
gleam in his eyes.
"Let go."
Kenshin did a few more acrobats and landed on the rock just beside
where Kaoru and the rest were last seen. "Kaoru-dono!" He started to cry out
for them all over again.
There was movement from the shadows, and Kaoru's face popped into
light to comfort Kenshin's soul.
"Kenshin!"
Kenshin's face lit up a thousand watts, as he sped up and went closer
to the the rest of the Kenshingumi. Sanosuke followed him closely.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru said again when Kenshin came beside her. "There's
something very urgent-"
"Not now, Kaoru-dono." He shushed her and cued her to look outwards.
"We have to get to ground zero first."
"But Kenshin..." Yahiko seemed to want to try to reinforce what Kaoru
was about to say. "... we really need to..."
"Oh keep quiet, shortie." Sanosuke popped in from the other
direction. "We're having enough trouble with getting to safety as it is, so
why don't you..."
Sanosuke closed his eyes in frustration, as Yahiko had long launched
onto his head to begin bite-sanosuke's-head campaign. Kenshin almost felt
like laughing, but curbed this desire soon enough. "Come on everybody," he
urgently insisted. "we need to go, or we'll all be drowned."
"But-" It was Megumi's turn to protest.
They all seemed to have alot to say.
"We'll talk about when we get to safety." Kenshin firmly stated.
Everybody fell silent.
Kenshin scanned through the trio for anymore protests and sighed.
"Sano, can you reach ground zero by standing on top of the overhanging rock?"
Kenshin questioned. Sanosuke looked up and did a rough gauge.
"Most forcibly, but I think so." He smiled, then jumped onto the
rock. Kenshin nodded at Sano, seeing that he was in position and reached a
hand to Kaoru.
"Kaoru-dono."
Saitou stood by the side of the collapsed riverbank and took out a
cigarette. He gazed onto the next crevass, lifting an eyebrow.
Maybe it was the mist, maybe it was the night... maybe it was all
those cigarettes, or maybe it was just himself. But whatever it was, Saitou's
jaw almost dropped to the floor as he tried to put two and two together.
What in the world was Battousai doing inside a riverbank just
collapsed at this hour in the night?!
Kenshin sat on the floor, almost exhausted. They had all successfully
got out of danger zone, when Kenshin helped them to climb to where Sanosuke
was, and from there Sanosuke would haul them onto proper ground. Beside him,
Sanosuke had already given up to tiredness and lay down, panting like a dog.
Only Kaoru was staring still into the crevass, with shimmering eyes and
hopelessness seemingly dwelling inside them.
Megumi sat beside her, not so much staring into the crevass, but deep
in thought. None of them seemed very happy.
There was tension in the air which Kenshin could not place his foot
on. He stood up, and dusted himself.
What was Kaoru-dono gazing at, he wondered, trying to spot anyone
who was in the direction of her stare. The mist had almost cleared by now,
and while Kenshin searched, his eyes caught a flicker of light blue.
Light blue...
"Soujirou!" He almost gasped. "I wonder if he's all right..."
Sanosuke had sat up by then, as he put a hand to his forehead. "The
sooner he trashes that purple guy the better. After all those trouble he's
put us through... wish I could do it myself!"
A hard sound of palm against face resounded in the ears of everybody,
as Megumi landed a tight slap on Sano's right cheek.
"Megumi-dono!" Kenshin gapped, unsure of what he was going to say.
After all, Megumi was never one to lose her cool with no proper reason
whatsoever.
Sanosuke stood up to face Megumi, face red from the slap he had just
received and totally boiled up with rage. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR, WOMAN?!" He
spat and directly faced Megumi for an answer.
"For insulting a dying man." Megumi answered straight into Sanosuke's
face. "Of course, it was also for your coarse behavior, reckless actions,
brainless ideas, tactless tactics AND that door you just knocked down quite
some time back not forgetting..."
As Megumi recited, one by one by one, Sanosuke's Mighty Flaws (TM),
Kenshin refrained from whipping out his sakabatou to commit suicide then, so
he used it to split up the two quarrelling people instead so that everybody
could piece together at least a rough idea of what in the world was going on.
"Megumi-dono." Kenshin finally managed to ask after Megumi and Sano
had stopped in their little squabble. "Murasaki is dying? Is he down with
some terminal disease or what?"
There was silence as Megumi allowed the winds to permeate the
surrounding area for a while. She roused, and looked at Kenshin straight in
the eye.
"The boy isn't as bad as we all portray him to be."
Sanosuke looked as if he was about to protest, but Kenshin put one
hand out and stopped him. He looked at Megumi with his eyes narrowed. "I
noticed."
Behind him, Sanosuke stared at Kenshin as if he couldn't believe what
Kenshin was saying. "Not you too, Kenshin?" He silently whispered into the
winds, but audible enough for the audience.
"Sano," Kenshin turned around for a while. "if Murasaki's true desire
was to punish Soujirou and see him crumble and fall, he could have done much
better than what he's doing now, given his intelligence."
Kenshin took a step nearer the collapsed riverside and pointed down
at the overhanging rock Sano had stood on.
"Below there, is where he placed Kaoru-dono and the rest.
"If he had wanted them killed, he could have just placed them at a
more obscure, lower levelled rock platform. After all, although we don't know
for sure, I for myself am willing to wager that he had foreseen the
collapsing of the riverbank."
Kenshin's eyes narrowed, as new emotions glazed over the old.
"And had intentionally placed his hostages in the safest, and most
easily accessed platform."
"Huh?"
Kaoru had finished feeling sad by now and she gathered her vocals to
speak. "Look down, Sanosuke."
And he did.
Everywhere he looked, this side of the newly formed cliff wall was
impossible to reach without professional tools. Twisted mazes vertically
formed disallowed anybody to reach a certain spot with ease. Slowly, one by
one, rocks disengaged and plunged into the roaring waves below, and only one
stood firm above all the disturbance.
The one the hostages were previously on.
"So what's your point?" Sanosuke did not turn his head back.
Kaoru took a deep breath. "Perhaps I should tell you what exactly
happened. Between Murasaki, and the rest of us."
The pain was dull in Kaoru's head, when she finally managed to
squeeze open her eyes. Dizzy, but not too, she forced heself to sit upright
and look at where she was.
She was in for a huge shock.
Twenty metres above ground? *This was the pits...* She groaned.
*Maybe this is all a dream, maybe when I wake up, there'll be a nice,
scrumptuous dinner awaiting me in the eating area, prepared by Kenshin
or something...*
"Are you surprised?"
She jerked, trying to locate where the soft voice had drifted from.
However, there was hardly any light from anywhere, so she probably couldn't
even see my own palm outstretched. she squirmed, and thought she saw some
movement on the bluish ground twenty metres below.
"Hello." The voice greeted again, soft, sweet and almost friendly.
Except for the fact that it was a little hollow and void of some normal
emotion, it did not seem to be anybody who would want to do anyone any harm.
She could hear Megumi and Yahiko rouse behind her.
"Excuse me there." Kaoru tried not to shout too loud, for shouting
loud in enclosed areas had always been a taboo. "But..."
"Could I tell you what's going on?" The voice continued. "Sure."
There were sounds of footsteps treading against soft soil, then a
metallic click. It sounded like sword against sheath, thou Kaoru hoped for
the best...
Slowly, though, she realized that her eyes were adjusting to the
darkness. At least, she kjnew it would give her a rough idea of who was this
one person talking with her from twenty metres below.
"My name is Murasaki."
Yahiko made a noise behind Kaoru, but Megumi was quick to shut him
up. Kaoru did not know what she wanted to do then. What could she possibly
do? They had played right into his traps, and there was really nothing to
talk about with men like him...
... but Kaoru refused to be prejudiced, and she cocked her ears to
listen to what Murasaki had to say.
"Some months ago, I met Soujirou with my foster sister Chitsuru. We
were like a happy family together, until the people who killed my foster
grandfather showed up.
"They lusted after the fortune my grandfather had left behind for us,
for he had been a rich merchant. He was a good man and did not deserve to
die, but when he did, I knew it was my duty now to protect Chitsuru. Until
death must I protect her, and make her happy; for that would be the duty for
me as a foster brother."
There was a moment of silence.
"She was never truly happy ever since grandfather died.
"Until Soujirou showed up.
"And almost at the same time, the bad ones showed up too."
If I could hear myself gasp, perhaps that was the reason why my hands
shot up at full speed to cover my mouth. I was not stupid. I could see where
this story was heading to.
"And that one fateful night, Chitsuru passed away."
Kaoru closed her eyes, trying not to feel anything. But if
Soujirou... if he mentioned Soujirou to have something to do with his
sister's death...
"Soujirou had failed to protect her."
... then perhaps she would cry.
"I had failed to protect her."
"So what're you going to do now?" Megumi asked, from behind Kaoru.
"Did you come for revenge? Did you pursue him all the way here to remind a
poor boy of his past mistakes?"
Murasaki scoffed. "What, do I look like I'm so petty?"
"Yes you do."
~sweatdrop~
The boy threw his hands up in frustration. "Oh well, have it your way
then. I'm not in the mood to argue."
"Of course you're not!" Megumi continued to say. Kaoru hid her eyes
with her hair and tried to hide in the dark shadows of the rock above them.
Megumi was being exceedingly rude and sardonic when she said that... and
Kaoru briefly wondered if she behaved like that whenever she woke up, but
that would be digressing, so let's pay attention here.
"Look it here, Murasaki, you're driving poor Soujirou insane. You
poison him, throw stuff at him, you try to challenge him and then run away to
come back again another time. How patient do you think a person can be? Be
realistic, Murasaki, if you're trying to seek revenge for your foster sister,
the least you can do is to do it right. Or else, leave Soujirou alone, and
get a life."
Kaoru tried to tug at Megumi-san's sleeve to stop her, but she didn't
seem to be in a very obliging mood. She hoped, sincerely hoped that Megumi
wasn't playing her cards wrong. They were hostages of Murasaki after all, and
here she was, insulting him like he was in the wrong all this while. No
better way to put lives into permanent danger... !
But instead of feeling the other's anger, Kaoru could actually look
upon Murasaki and see an impressed expression on his countenance. Or maybe it
was because of the lack of light that her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Whatever it was, Murasaki was not, in any sense, enraged.
"I will leave Soujirou alone." He simply stated, for once letting all
hear that he too, knew emotions. "After I let him know that I never once
blamed him for letting Chitsuru slip into the sea that night."
One could practically feel Megumi-san's determination fade. She was
probably more surprised than anyone would ever be. Even Yahiko had a confused
look on his face.
They all looked at Murasaki, who was almost about to walk out of the
tunnel. Perhaps he could feel their eagerness to know an answer but also the
reluctance to ask, for he turned around and then gave a heart-warming smile
to them. The bit of light coming from the entrance of the tunnel made the
rare smile of a supposed enemy surprisingly welcoming.
"I have lived with Soujirou long enough to know what kind of a person
he is." Murasaki closed his eyes. "I'm sure you know his characteristics as
well as I do.
"He blames himself for the death of Chitsuru. And he left the
Raikouji household the very next day after her death.
"I questioned why he left. At many times I felt so angry, so very
angry with him. But when I sat down and really thought about it, I knew, that
Soujirou would rather himself be blamed than anyone else. Having known him
for that amount of time, I realized... that Soujirou did not leave because he
despised this household. He left... because he believed that only then could
I be happy and peaceful.
"I knew he had always stayed in the household with the thought that
once something big happened, he would leave and let us still be happy.
"But he didn't know that we didn't want him to stay because of
obligation."
"But of love?" Kaoru whispered to herself. She blinked away a few
droplets of tears.
"That's right." Murasaki smiled ever so slightly. "So I told myself,
that I would not forgive him if he still blamed himself for the death of
Chitsuru. And even if I were to die, I will make him see otherwise."
"Then why play all these games... ?" Megumi flatly questioned. "To
me, it totally defeats the purpose of what you're going to do."
Murasaki sighed. "Of course I have to make him think that I'm his
enemy. Otherwise, he'll never think of wanting to attack me."
"And that's your plan? To get him to attack you?" Yahiko spoke this
time. "It's total waste of time. WHY DON'T YOU JUST TELL HIM?? He's not
unreasonable, if you tell him, he'll know, and you'll all be happy... we'll
all be happy!"
"It's not as simple as that." Murasaki turned his back towards the
three of them. "I know that when Chitsuru died, a part of Soujirou went with
her. And with that, a part of his will to live.
"He's forgotten that with blood on his hands, all the more he should
live for tomorrow. If there is anything more I can do for my brother
Soujirou, I will willingly die to show him that if he does not live on..."
Megumi and Kaoru ducked their heads, but stayed attentive.
"... then he already died the day Chitsuru died for him..."
"But where..." Kaoru finally managed to say after a long silence.
"Where does 'death' come into picture? If you don't mind me asking... ?"
Murasaki continued to walk out of the tunnel.
"Can we say re-enaction?"
The three were taken aback.
"Anyway, the high tide will claim this tunnel pretty soon. I'm off to
meet up with the rest of your gang. Don't worry, you're safe up there, since
you're at higher ground. The river above will be collapsing soon too, but the
overhanging rock above you will protect you. You guys are absolutely safe in
here, so don't move and wait till the riverbank collapses, then find a way to
climb onto normal ground yourself. That's all I can do for you guys now."
He stopped at the exact entrance of the tunnel, then turned around
for a while, biting his lips, wondering what he should say.
He smiled again, having found the correct words.
"We won't meet again."
And with a sweep of his scarf bounded out of the tunnel into the deep
nights of Tokyo...
"Then... we realized that when he said 're-enaction', he meant that
he was going to replay in front of Soujirou..."
"... the death scene of Chitsuru to show him that nobody blamed him
for her death." Kenshin finished Kaoru's sentence, his expressions unreadable
as he gazed at Soujirou and Murasaki on the opposite cliff wall, still
hanging on. "And he has already prepared to die from the very moment this
battle began, to show Soujirou that he had to live on for tomorrow, if
nothing else, for Chitsuru, and himself..."
Kaoru looked down on the floor, shifting her weight uncomfortably.
"We tried to tell you to stop this senseless battle, but..."
"This battle isn't senseless." Kenshin's voice intercepted Kaoru's
sentence. "But we must stop it all the same."
Above them, the skies began to light up. The rain pelted down harder,
and the winds howled louder. If the literal heavens were begging for a
pardon, they couldn't have done it better.
"Let go, Murasaki!"
"Do you know what you're talking about??"
"Of course I do." Soujirou shouted above the roaring waves. "Isn't
this what you wanted? Haven't you been planning all those twisted maneuvers
for this one moment? Now it's finally possible... you can finally avenge
Chitsuru the way I allowed her to go... !"
"I-"
Soujirou waited. But Murasaki never finished what he was going to
say. Instead, he chose to cast a faraway glance towards the side.
"Or did you have something else for me in mind?" Soujirou asked
again, determined to find out the true purpose of Murasaki's pursuit. "Tell
me, Murasaki. Please."
For once, Murasaki seemed to be actually contemplating the thought of
telling Soujirou something. But he hardened his expressions again soon
enough.
"There's nothing to say. I'm bad through and through. You can't stop
me from being what I am, and you're not going to know what I'm going to do."
"Oh." Soujirou smiled, attaching a knowing expression to his face.
"Bad through and through?" He laughed.
"What's so funny?!"
"You are." Soujirou stopped. "If you're bad through and through, why
did you choose the most secluded part of the riverbank to collapse?
"Why did you take the trouble to evacuate the innocent old lady, even
if she was just one person?
"Why are you saving me now?"
"And why so much thought into planning the precise escape routes of
Kaoru-dono and the rest?" Kenshin shouted from the other side of the cliff.
He did not care how much he had to actually fight with the rip-roaring sound
of waters to make himself heard. There was a new perspective to all this, and
he was beginning to see his theories come to light...
The younger boy's lower eyelid moved, though no one could be sure
what it moved for. Although his face showed no obvious expression, Kenshin
was sure his words and Soujirou's were effecting him... slowly, but surely.
Meanwhile, Soujirou had gotten a firmer hold on one of the rocks
jutting out of the cliff wall, and broke free from Murasaki's grip.
"You did came with a purpose didn't you, Murasaki?" Kenshin continued
to press on. "You speak about the death of your sister Chitsuru. You think
you've found out the one way for both hers and your souls to be truly
satisfied. Well, let me tell you young man.
"There is no way she will ever be satisfied at the rate you're going
now."
Murasaki shot a stare which came close to resembling an infuriated
glare, at Kenshin. "What do *you* know?"
"I know lots!" Kenshin shouted back.
"What's your purpose here? Even if you don't tell me, I know very
well what your purpose here is. You are here to avenge Chitsuru."
"I'm not here to-"
"Yes you are."
"If I was-"
"If *YOU* weren't here to avenge Chitsuru, then you're here to avenge
your own self."
"What... ?"
"Tell me, Murasaki." Kenshin frowned. "How you knew that a part of
Soujirou died with Chitsuru that night."
Murasaki kept absolutely quiet.
"Because she meant alot to him." Kenshin answered his own question.
"And what about you?
"Surely she meant much to you as well, Murasaki...
"You would never have wanted to witness her death..."
Murasaki shook his head. "No... NEVER!"
"And neither would she have wanted yours."
The boy stopped, and closed his eyes.
"Are you doing her a favour by dying? By perishing so that Soujirou
learns a hard lesson? Would she have wanted this? Do you know how painful it
is to watch someone you care so much for sacrifice their life so that you can
go on? Have you felt the pain? Do you know the burden? Have you bore that
responsibility before? Not once, but twice you are repeating a
heart-wrenching scene in front of Soujirou. If you do truly treat him as a
beloved brother, why? WHY? Why do you want to die when you can live on
happily together? Is it really so hard to give Soujirou a will to live? Will
death, or life help him? WHICH ONE, MURASAKI??"
Kaoru looked at the back of Kenshin as he shouted away. In fact,
everybody else were doing the same.
Kenshin did not seem to be behaving as per normal.
"Kenshin..." Kaoru uttered, almost afraid to say it out loud. She
reached out a hand, but saw that Kenshin was actually panting away. She
dimmed her eyes. Physical shouting alone would not have made Kenshin so hard
for breath.
Along with his address to Murasaki, Kenshin was addressing the pain
within himself.
Soujirou listened to the exchange between Kenshin and Murasaki, and
would have scratched his head if it weren't that both his hand were busy
hanging on for dear life. He looked at Murasaki, eyes full of plea.
"Murasaki." Soujirou said urgently. "Tell me the truth. Now. Please!"
The other boy opened his eyes to look coldly at Soujirou. It seemed
as if he had reached a choice from what Kenshin had been egging him to not
sit on the fence any further.
"There is no truth in me." Murasaki drew his metal blade from the
sheath. The winds tossed his hair around his face, resulting in a wild, crazy
outlook. "Now-"
There was a brief flash of white light, as the lightning hit down and
eletrocuted a nearby tree, forcing it to fall into the rushing waves.
Murasaki halted abruptly in his sentence and clutched his sword almost
protectively, as if afraid of something. If one examined closely, one could
see that he was gritting his teeth together, and trembling, to the greatest
extent, while the freezing weather continued to drag on through the night.
Soujirou snapped, and it occurred to him that Murasaki had once told
him something about lightning.
The young rurouni turned slowly to face Murasaki, while the latter
refused to meet his eyes.
"You're afraid of lightning aren't you?"
Murasaki chose, again, to remain silent. The way he trembled of
course, was an answer obvious enough.
Another freak crack of tree branch denoted yet another lightning
strike nearby. Murasaki's eyes opened, wider and wider as he looked at the
phenomenal in the skies. White light flashed throughout dark clouds, as if
threatening to release the whole store of electricity down onto earth at one
shot. Murasaki bit back another cry, while he tried to sink further back into
where he was standing on. He could now feel himself trembling, shaking
furiously as white lines continued to hit onto ground.
"Even you can be afraid of something." Soujirou commented, neither
approving, nor disapproving. "We fear because it keeps us safe from
punishment, and disappointment." Soujirou smiled weakly. "I feared I would
never be accepted by anybody. But here you are again, and here I am."
Soujirou stepped onto a small rock platform, and released his grip on
the wall. His earlier smiles, when in eagerness, when in fear, when in
anticipation, when in pain, when in gladness, when in sadness, when in
frustration, anxiousness or regardless; appeared. Soujirou smiled The Smile,
and put his two arms by his side in a slightly elevated position to the
waist.
"I no longer fear punishment or disappointment." Soujirou softly,
gently told Murasaki. "Accept me or reject me; I respect your choice and will
live or die with it without regrets."
Murasaki tried to look up, but the lightning flashing behind Soujirou
irked his eyes and he hid back into his arms again.
"Fear of material things is nothing compared to the fear of oneself."
Soujirou further stated. "Fear of oneself is nothing.
"Compared to the fear of fear itself.
"I refuse to fear 'fear' any longer." Soujirou looked at the huddled
figure of Murasaki, still smiling away. "And when I say face me, I *mean*
face me." Soujirou allowed his hands to fully rest by his sides. "You must
choose now, as I have chosen to allow you to choose.
"Acceptance or rejection. Past or present."
There was a sudden swirl of movement on Murasaki's side, as he
proceeded to rise to full height with the help of the strong winds. His head
was lowered, but he was breathing hard. Lightning continued to strike at
every available spot in Tokyo, and Murasaki gasped.
His hands reached upwards to touch the corners of his eyes.
*I wished they were the rain, but I know they are my tears...* He
returned his attention to Soujirou, and lifted his metal sword. "Soujirou."
He said, as calmly as he could, with a tremendous tremor towards the end.
"DUCK!"
"Ara?"
He flung the sword towards Soujirou, but not before Soujirou had
successfully obeyed the command to 'duck' did he do so.
The sword impaled a tree trunk about to fall into the crevass, and
especially onto Soujirou's head. But the sheer brute force exerted in the
throw caused Murasaki to finally lose his footing on the platform. He held
onto the side of the wall and gnashed his teeth, trying to keep on land, but
the sooner he did so, the streaks of lightning again danced across the
murky skies.
New fear regenerated in him, and with one cry of resignation, allowed
a huge wave that had claimed the rock platform he had been standing on carry
him away as well...
... maybe to a far far place where he would no longer bring hurt to
anybody...
"NOOOO... !!!"
Soujirou leapt off his own platform and caught his foster brother's
hand, the other hand driving the shinai as further into the thick layer of
moss and fungus on the cliff wall as possible. They slid to an immediate
brake just about 3 metres away from ground zero.
The young rurouni adjusted his grip and realized that he was losing
Murasaki to the crazy winds. "HANG ON!" He shouted, fearing the worse.
Murasaki made no movement, other than slowly turning his head up to
look at Soujirou.
And to smile at him with the utmost sincerity.
"I'm sorry."
Soujirou's eyes opened as wide as saucers. "What for?" He softly
inquired.
"To have to let you see both of us die the same way."
"What-"
"Tell me, Soujirou, did Chitsuru ever blamed you for what happened
that night?"
Soujirou stared at Murasaki as if he was crazy. Then he settled down.
"I don't know." Soujirou half-lied. He had been wanting so much to tell
Murasaki that in his sweetest dreams, Chitsuru would be there, happy and
satisfied. Forgiving and smiling, because she would never blame Soujirou for
what happened to her...
... and to him, these dreams were his truth. His everything.
"Well let me tell you. She doesn't."
"?" Soujirou made a face. "How would you know?"
"If you must pinpoint a guilty party, I must be your partner in
crime." Murasaki again smiled. Soujirou's heart itched a little. He hadn't
been out in much business lately, but he knew when someone smiled the kind of
smile Murasaki was smiling.
They called it a dead man's last happiness.
"What're you talking about..." Soujirou could feel Murasaki's hand
slipping. He forced back a few sniffles and pursed his lips together. In an
attempt to block out the tears, Soujirou shut his eyes. But they kept on
gushing out, whether his eyelids were shut or not. Warm tears kept coming out
to mix with the cold and harsh rain.
It was not the first time.
Nor the second time.
It was the third time.
Soujirou could not bear with it any longer.
"WHY??" He burst out loud. "Why did you do all these? WHY, MURASAKI?
Tell me... please tell me..." Soujirou silent sobbed.
"Because of love."
Soujirou looked up with his tear-streaked face.
"Because Chitsuru knew you would be beaten alive on the boat that
night had she do not let go. Because I know you will fall down into the
waters with me if I do not let go."
And Murasaki gave him the most sincere smile he had ever showed since
meeting with Soujirou again.
"We'll be with you in your journey, Soujirou." He optimistically
informed Soujirou. "Wherever you are, we are. So don't you dare die,
brother." He threatened the poor, sobbing boy, choking into his sleeve. "Now
let go, or we'll both take the plunge."
"I won't!" Soujirou shouted. "If once is not enough, one more time
and I'm going to go insane!"
"No you won't." Murasaki grinned. "Because you've conquered fear.
Congratulations, Soujirou!" He said, then turned serious. "For all the damage
I've done, I must give an answer. I'm sorry. I'm really very sorry.
"And remember that there in your hands two people lay their hopes on
you." Murasaki clenched the hand Soujirou was gripping onto. "Let neither
Chitsuru nor anyone else be gone for nothing. LIVE, Soujirou! Take your
journey!" The boy closed his eyes. "One day you'll see what's behind our
hidden smiles, and maybe I'll see you again."
Just like the night of so many moons ago, Murasaki took his strength,
and released his hand from Soujirou's to dangle in mid-air for a little
while, before watching Soujirou's ghastly shocked face...
... and then saying goodbye with one last, lingering look.
"MURASAKI --- !!!!" Soujirou tried to lunge forward to grab his
foster brother. "COME BACK!!" He shouted, in between coughs and chokes.
He soon realized that he was in fact, shouting to a pool of fast
moving water. He took one last look at the waters, trusted that Murasaki was
smart enough to be able to survive and turned his attention.
*I will live.* Soujirou stood firm in his stand. *If not for anyone
else, for two of my closest friends and kin.*
*I will survive. I MUST SURVIVE!* The boy fiercely told himself.
*Murasaki was right. No one had blamed me for anything.*
*I was blaming myself. Time to wake up and smell the roses. The time
is now, Seta Soujirou!!*
He swung, and tried to reach the nearest jutting rock. Soujirou
shuddered as he heard a crack, and realized that the shinai was coming to a
quick break. Opposite, he could hear Himura-san and the rest shouting for
him. But they were too far to help. Soujirou's eyes were wet with tears. That
was it? Just when he finally wanted to live, just when he finally found the
will to be himself before Chitsuru again... he was going to go as well?
A tall shadow loomed over Soujirou, and he turned his head to look
upwards at a face hidden by clouds of cigarette smoke.
"Oh boy. Look at what we've got here." Saitou shook his head at the
young rurouni, and proceeded to draw his sword out from his sheath.
Kenshin squinted, and spotted a tall policeman standing above the
cliff wall Soujirou was hanging on to.
"Saitou!" He blurted out. Immediately, Sanosuke snapped to attention
and looked across the bank.
They all saw him draw his sword.
"SAITOU!" Kenshin tried to catch his attention, but to no avail.
"SAITOU!!!"
"Weren't you that little boy who was always by the side of Shishio
Makoto? Abiding to his every call?" Saitou asked, holding his sword in a
position for a vertical stab downwards.
Soujirou was dumbfounded.
Saitou smiled slightly, bringing his sword up. "Aku. Soku. Zan."
Soujirou's eyes widened.
Kenshin could not believe his eyes.
"SAITOU, NO!!!"
END PART 9
(okay, I cheated. The next chapter is the final chapter. I PROMISE!!)
ruroken@geocities.com
8/12/98
(
geocities.com/tokyo/shrine/3037) (
geocities.com/tokyo/shrine) (
geocities.com/tokyo)