Title: At First Sight
Author: tir-synni
Beta: The one smirking in the corner over there, planning for her children to take over the world. Yeah. Dra. Over there.
A/N: Nothing really. Me and my slash going overboard again.
Rating: PG (at most)
Addy: relisprince(at)hotmail(dot)com

I noticed him before I had finished entering the room. The scent of blood immediately caught my interest. Even in the underground, the addictive aroma was rare. The Meiji Era had driven out the true warriors, leaving only cheap imitations. But this . . . this was a true scent. I inhaled deeply, allowing the essence of violence to penetrate my body. It invigorated me, and I knew I had to find the owner. Only a true warrior-a true killer-had this aura around him so strongly. Perhaps I had finally found my challenge.
I ordered and kept a watchful eye out. Hmph! Fools, all of them. Weak. None of them were worth my time. The drunks in the corner were the weakest of them all, with their loud, raving words. I doubted they even knew what they were saying yet they continued to drink sake. One carelessly threw something, not caring enough to pay attention to where it went. Absently, I followed the object. . . .
And found my warrior.
The scent of blood exploded in my nostrils. I gasped, and I only had one glimpse of long crimson hair before a glass cup slammed into the back of my warrior's head. In that moment, I could grasp this part of the scene. The warrior had known it was coming. I had seen his almost invisible tensing, the tiniest cocking of his head to make sure it hit him flush. As it landed, the killer cried out. He collapsed backwards, and I heard his companions call to him.
Kenshin. Heart of the Sword. How interesting.
Now I could see the full scene. If the champion had moved away, the lovely young lady across from him would have received the blow straight to her face. She would not have been so pretty then, would she? And his overblown reaction. . . . A feint, perhaps? But why? As the young boy with them leapt to his feet, I took the opportunity to peruse the redhead. Surely with that rapid move and the bloody odor around him, he had to be the killer I had sensed, but . . . I had not realized how beautiful he would be. A dramatic cross-scar slashed one cheek, but otherwise his face was smooth and pale. His eyes . . . I was convinced he was a killer, but I could not quite convince myself he was human. Delicate looking and beautiful, but he had still efficiently blocked the blow without major injury. No. With those large violet eyes and silky, blood-red tresses, he was surely a legendary kitsune demon. Sagara-san had told me of them long ago. Had Sagara-san sent me this one? Had he finally sent me-- I cut the thought before it could fill me.
A young maid had stepped forward to try to stop the ensuing fight. I stood up in time to catch her as one of the drunks smacked her back. What a weakling. I unobtrusively glanced again at my redheaded demon, my prey. It was not these fools I wished to fight. I wanted to fight him, the One.
And perhaps . . . fight him off the battlefield.

Heh. I wondered when they would realize that I had never paid my bill.